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RUTLEDGE RECOGNIZED

Roy Rutledge, Assiniboia, Sask.

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August 2011

Volume 74, No. 8

Established 1938 ISSN 1196-8923 Cattlemen Editorial: Editor: Gren Winslow 1666 Dublin Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3H 0H1 (204) 944-5753 Fax (204) 944-5416 Email: gren@fbcpublishing.com Field Editor: Debbie Furber Box 1168, Tisdale, SK S0E 1T0 (306) 873-4360 Fax (306) 873-4360 Email: debbie.furber@fbcpublishing.com

FEATURES Fencing, fencing and more fencing..................................8 The consolidated sell holds its own............................ 10 Rutledge recognized...................................................... 11 Life in a value chain........................................................ 16 Ontario corn fed beef.................................................... 18 Field gate organics......................................................... 22 Team is streaming........................................................... 28 Steady as she goes at stettler....................................... 30 Markets move closer to traceability decision. ........... 32 Verified beef production................................................ 39 Departments

8

COMMENT............................................... 4 NEWSMAKERS......................................... 6 NUTRITION............................................ 14 HOLISTIC RANCHING.............................. 26 VET ADVICE.......................................... 27 RESEARCH............................................ 34 CCA REPORTS...................................... 36 PRIME CUTS......................................... 38 STRAIGHT FROM THE HIP...................... 40 NEWS ROUNDUP................................... 41 PURELY PUREBRED............................... 44 THE MARKETS...................................... 47 MARKET TALK....................................... 49 SALES & EVENTS.................................. 50

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Cattlemen / august 2011 3

c o m m e n t

by Gren Winslow

Canada Beef gets rolling

A packer is put in charge

T

he producers charged with merging the two marketing arms of the Canadian cattle industry seem to have struck a fine balance.

The top tier of the newly created Canada Beef Inc. announced in late July is made up of people from both the Canada Beef Export Federation (CBEF) and the Beef Information Centre (BIC) but an outsider and former packer has been put in charge.

Robert Meijer has worked for Cargill for the past 14 years, most recently as director of corporate affairs. During his career he managed the business end of 19 Cargill units dealing with beef, poultry, milling, malt, grain handling and port services, animal nutrition and canola processing.

In his last position he was responsible for government relations and regulation, communication and community relations. He’s also built up a network of contacts within the agriculture community as a member of the Federal Beef Roundtable, the Flax Council of Canada, the Malt Industry Association of Canada, the Western Grain Elevator Association, the Canada Grains Council and the Canadian Meat Council.

We should also remember that he was one of two packer members who resigned from the CBEF board along with past chairman Ben Thorlakson when a special meeting in February failed to endorse the merger. So he’s not a complete stranger to these organizations, although his appointment is still something of a surprise.

When the merger talks began in earnest this spring BIC’s CEO Glenn Brand, and CBEF’s president, Ted Haney, were viewed as the early frontrunners to become the new president. Both men had worked their way up through the ranks of their organizations and served producers with passion and dedication during their careers. Of course, they regularly ended up butting heads as each fought for their share of the checkoff dollars that formed the base of both budgets.

It is impossible to know what was in the minds of committee members when they made the final selection. The fact that neither Haney or Brand were chosen to head up Canada Beef may indicate the committee didn’t want to skew the new group toward one organization over the other. Or it may be that Meijer’s broad range of experience better represents the direction the producers want their new marketing arm to take in the future.

The next level more clearly reflects the past.

4 Cattlemen / August 2011

Cam Daniels who was in charge of export services for CBEF becomes responsible for building relationships with key partners and customers in Canada and around the world as the Canada Beef vice-president of global relations.

Herb McLane, a former executive vice-president of the Canadian Beef Breeds Council, past member of Federal Beef Roundtable and CBEF vice-president of international programs, takes on a similar role with Canada Beef as vice-president, international. In the new job he will lead the company’s international operations and take a more active role in co-ordinating market development activities with senior government officials.

John Baker carries his senior position at BIC over as vice-president, North America where he will head up market development activities in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. He’s also in charge of technical services.

Ron Glaser is vice-president of corporate services and communication, a role he handled capably at BIC and earlier at the Alberta Beef Producers.

Michael Shittu also carries over his job from CBEF as vice-president, finance for Canada Beef.

The Canada Beef board of directors is exactly as expected, 10 producers and six from the trade — packers, processors and retailers. The larger cattle-producing provinces have one producer rep at the table. Alberta has two to accommodate the Alberta Cattle Feeders’ Association who gained a seat for supporting the mandatory $1 national checkoff in Alberta until 2013. The two directors at large represent Maritime producers.

One reason the old CBEF board resisted the merger so long was to ensure that the new Canada Beef board would include packers and processors, since these are after all the people who sell the beef. Canada Beef’s role is to assist the trade in developing new markets, gather market intelligence and promote beef consumption at home.

Of course, this particular board will also be responsible for collecting the national checkoff.

Corporate mergers are often messy affairs but it is to be hoped this one will jell fairly quickly.

The people already know each other, the overall task remains the same and they won’t have to waste time bickering over who should get a larger share of the producers’ money. Some will go to research and the lion’s share will be spent on Canada Beef. www.canadiancattlemen.ca

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NEWSMAKERS Robert Meijer, the former director of Corporate Affairs for Cargill Limited, was named president of Canada Beef Inc., the new marketing arm of the Canadian Robert Meijer cattle industry on August 1. Canada Beef was formed from the merger of the Beef Information Centre and Canada Beef Export Federation.

Five vice-presidents were named: Cam Daniels, global relations; Herb McLane, international; John Baker, North America; Ron Glaser, corporate services and communications and Michael Shittu, finance. Brad Wildeman of Saskatchewan chairs the board; Dane Guignion of Manitoba is vice-chair.

Judy Guichon of Quilchena has been re-elected to a second one-year term as president of the British Columbia Cattle Producers’ Association.

Joining her on the Judy Guichon executive are vicepresident David Haywood-Farmer and directors Mark Grafton, Martin Rossmann, Linda Allison, Ron Buchanan and Larry Garrett. Newly elected directors include John Anderson, replacing Mike Rose from the Nicola Stock Breeders, Peter Philip replaces Ralph Michell from the Kamloops Stockmen, and John Kochel replaces Roland Baumann from the Nechako Valley Regional Cattlemen.

Harold Martens, a cow-calf producer from Swift Current, was elected president of the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association (SSGA) at the group’s annual meetHarold Martens ing in June. Doug Gillespie of Neville is first vice-president backed up by second vice-president Shane Jahnke of Gouldtown. Calvin Knoss of Rockglen moves to past president. New to the board table are Robin Wiggins of Fox Valley, and Gerry Duckworth of Courval, joining Jahnke, Martens and Roy Rutledge of Assiniboia, who were returned for two-year terms.

6 CATTLEMEN / AUGUST 2011

Directors-at large serving the second year of their terms are Ryan Beierbach of Whitewood, Helen Finucane of Regina, Heather S. Beierbach of Maple Creek, and Paul Jefferson of Humboldt.

decades of experience in the industry working with the Canadian Wheat Board, the Keystone Agricultural Producers in Manitoba and the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association.

Dr. Cheryl Waldner, a professor at the Western College of Veterinary Medicine, was presented with the Intervet Schering-Plough Award for achievement in large animal medicine at the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) annual meeting. Waldner, a veterinary epidemiologist, is widely recognized for her work on the impact of the oil and gas industry on cattle health and productivity, trace mineral nutrition, and the epidemiology of many infectious diseases. Currently, she and her colleagues are working on a new diagnostic test for Vibriosis.

The CVMA’s Humane Award was presented to Dr. Terry Whiting, the manager of animal health and welfare at Manitoba Agriculture and the President’s Award went to Dr. Tim Ogilvie, the immediate past dean of the Atlantic Veterinary College.

Dr. Lloyd Keddie, a mixed-practitioner from Fairview, Alta., was elected as president of the CVMA for 2011-2012.

Dr. Alastair Cribb has accepted another five-year term as dean of the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Calgary. He is the founding dean of the Dr. Alastair Cribb vet school which now has 50 faculty members and this fall 120 students entering its first-year class.

The first graduating class is entering its fourth year rotations this fall.

Wayne Digby will be stepping down as executive director of the Manitoba Forage Council on September 1 to concentrate his efforts on his other position as executive director of the Canadian Forage and Grassland Association.

Cam Dahl is the new general manager of the Manitoba Beef Producers. He is a past commissioner of the Canadian Grain ComCam Dahl mission, chairman of the board of directors of the Canadian International Grains Institute, executive director of the Grain Growers of Canada and spent several years working on Parliament Hill. Most recently he was working with Pronto Energy Group, a company that converts waste to energy. Dahl is originally from a mixed farm near Swan River. He holds both Bachelor and Masters degrees, focusing on agricultural economics, from the University of Manitoba.

Craig Douglas is the new policy analyst of the Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association. He has nearly three

A past president of the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association, Gerhard Schickedanz passed away in Markham June 24 after a short bout with cancer. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Elma.

After immigrating to Canada from Germany in 1951 Gerard and his brothers started their building and development business in Toronto with later branches in Calgary and Florida. He bought his farm near Markham in 1960 and continued to farm for the remainder of his life. In addition to his time with the OCA he was involved with the Ontario Federation of Agriculture the American Trakehner Association, a North American horse breeding organization.

Kori Maki-Adair is the new manager of communications for the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency. She has a background in online communications and experience in government, media and community relations.

Heini Hehli, a Rimby-area dairy producer, has been elected chair of Alberta Farm Animal Care (AFAC). Veterinarian and cattle producer Larry Delver representing the Western Stock Growers Association was elected vice-chairman.

Alberta Beef Producers representative Brian Chomlak is treasurer, and cowcalf producer Doug Sawyer moves into the past chairman role on the executive.

Jim Armstrong has retired after 35 years with the Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture He spent three years in Yorkton as ag. rep. with the Saskatchewan Indian Agriculture Program, 23 years as livestock specialist in Tisdale, www.canadiancattlemen.ca

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Brennin Jack of Heartland Livestock in Regina was crowned 2011 Champion Canadian Livestock Auctioneer during the Canadian Livestock Markets Association annual meeting in Kitchiner, Ont., in June. Runner up was Travis Rogers of the Nilsson Brothers market in Clyde, Alta.

Meanwhile, Rod Burnett of Armstrong, B.C won the 23rd annual International Livestock Auctioneer Championship at the Calgary Stampede in July, gaining the $5,000 prize and a berth in the 2012 World Livestock Auctioneer Championship at Hilmar, Calif.

Dr. David Chalack is to be inducted into the Canadian Agriculture Hall of Fame. A veterinarian, he is the current chairman of the Alberta Livestock Dr. David Chalack and Meat Agency and past president of the Calgary Stampede. He is also a partner in Rocky Mountain Holsteins Inc, a director of Alta Genetics Inc. in Balzac and past director of the Canadian Livestock Genetic Exporters Association.

Producers David Kerr of Lashburn and Kelly Williamson of Pambrun along with Dr. Fran Walley of the Department of Soil Science at the University of Saskatchewan were recently appointed to the board of directors of the Saskatchewan Forage Council. Re-elected to the board were forage researcher Dr. Bruce Coulman and producer Leam Craig of Biggar, Sask.

The Southwest Forage Co-operative Association was presented with the council’s 2011 Forage Industry Innovation Award its summer annual meeting.

The Livestock Gentec Alberta Innovates Centre at the University of Alberta has appointed Dr. Graham Plastow as its interim chief executive officer, replacing Dr. Stephen Moore who has accepted a position at the University of Queensland in Australia. The centre has also hired Dr. John Basarab, Dr. Leluo Guan and Tom Lynch-Staunton. C www.canadiancattlemen.ca

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GRAZING

FENCING, FENCING AND MORE FENCING

I

t is my busy season so what better topic to write about this month but fencing. It keeps me fit. On a quick estimate, I have about 32 miles of perimeter fence and about 28 miles of cross-fencing to check in the spring. That is approximately 60 miles of posts, wire, staples, insulators and trees to deal with “to properly and reasonably protect the animals from escape.” Picture me with my quad loaded with posts, wire, a chainsaw, a carpenter’s belt full of staples, a hammer and a good pair of rubber boots.

Oh… and I can’t forget about “Big Bertha.” She is my hand-powered postpounder and she loves to give me a workout. She is a little on the heavy side but she can sure make me sweat!

I thought I would share with you a few of the fencing tidbits I have picked up over the years. Firstly, I have a lot of old, rickety barbwire fences on my rented land as perimeter fences. They have been patched and then the patches have been patched. If you try to tighten the wire you will end up breaking it a little farther down.

Do I spend $4,000 in materials and labour to replace it? Not likely on rented land. Can I work out a deal with the landowner? Maybe, but I have found the least expensive way to make that fence strong. It does not have to be that sturdy to hold up a one-wire electric offset. This is an electric wire run about 30 inches off the ground and eight inches off the fence. It is held up by an offset. Now you can buy proper offsets as they come in various designs but I am pretty economical and I have found that some old water line works just dandy. As you can see from the picture, I use a bent piece of water line to hold the offset wire and fencing staples to hold it to the post (not nails) with a small nail to hold the wire in place. I attach an offset every fifth or sixth post (depending on the terrain). Sometimes I will just drag a length of water line behind me and cut off the length I need as I go along. I’ve found 12 to 18 inches is a nice length. That makes the wire sit six to nine inches off the fence.

Even new pipe at what, 32 cents per foot, is a pretty inexpensive insulator, but I have yet to use new pipe. Old water line is cheap at auction sales. I 8 CATTLEMEN / AUGUST 2011

Self-insulated rods work for crossfences.

Old water pipe makes a handy offset.

also use cut-offs from a local house plumber. They work well too. I like to use high-tensile wire with them but have used poly wire.

With the offsets that rickety, old barbwire fence is just a visual barrier — seven to nine KV of electricity is what keeps them in. They won’t be reaching through that fence.

How about splicing wire? My father taught me a handy little trick with a claw hammer that can sure tighten up a barbwire fence. If a wire is broken or just loose, I will splice in a new piece so I can tighten it up with my hammer. Just loop the wire through, grab it with the claw and then backspin the wire around the head of the hammer until the fence is guitar-string tight. It works best with single-strand barbwire as the barbs will slide along as you tighten. I always try to have a part role of single strand close at hand. It works with regular barbwire as well but you might have to tighten both ends of the splice as you will get hung up on the barbs. It does not kink the wire to weaken it and it does not cost as much as buying an in-line fence tightener. It takes me about 12 minutes to splice all four wires snug tight on a four-strand fence.

My cross-fences are simple. In some cases I use portable ones but I prefer to

use permanent fences. If I need to set up and take down a fence in the same place more than once, I might as well buy new material and leave the fence in place as the labour costs as much as the materials. I like pigtail posts for portable fences. I used to use rebar and plastic insulators but I am tired of replacing insulators. I try to avoid having my wire held up with plastic insulators or posts.

They break. The pigtails are easy to carry and last longer. I have found that not all pigtails are made equal.

I like my poly wire braided, not weaved.

For my permanent cross-fence I have recently tried self-insulated rods and so far have been happy with the results. They might cost a little more than wood but I do not need to own or rent a post pounder. Each farm is different and we all have different preferences.

I hope I have given you a nugget or two for you to use on your ranch. To see some of these materials in action, and to see what I will not use again, join us at a pasture walk some time. C — Steve Kenyon Steve Kenyon runs Greener Pastures Ranching Ltd. in Busby, Alta., www.greenerpasturesranching.com, 780-307-6500, email skenyon@greenerpasturesranching.com. www.canadiancattlemen.ca

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MARKETING

THE CONSOLIDATED SELL HOLDS ITS OWN

I

But numbers are down in 2011

t has been five years since a group of 13 feeders from Alberta and Saskatchewan broke the Canadian mold for selling finished cattle to the packers by forming Northwest Consolidated Beef Producers (NWCBP), based in Strathmore, Alta. Since then it has grown to 143 members across the Prairies and in 2010 marketed 112,000 finished cattle along with 2,450 cows and bulls.

The aim of the not-for-profit company has always been to up the ante in the cash market by facilitating the timely gathering and distribution of market information to members and marketing groups of fed cattle that are large enough to catch the attention of as many buyers as possible.

While NWCBP’s marketing team of Wade Pearson and Jodie Griffin led by industry veteran Vern Lonsberry negotiate the weekly sale, members still make all of the day-to-day management decisions, including cattle purchases, feed programs, as well as when and how to market their cattle. They are under no obligation to list their cattle with NWCBP. The only stipulation is that they refrain from selling cattle by other means during the weeks they do list cattle with NWCBP. Very few switch back and forth.

Lonsberry views this ongoing commitment to the concept of the consolidated sell along with the growth in the company as the major highlights of their first five years of operation.

Most of the challenges have been tied to the tumultuous market conditions of recent years — the erratic swings in the fed cattle basis in 2008 and the beginning of country-of-origin labelling in 2009 — as well as the ongoing consolidation within the Canadian packing sector.

“A major challenge has been the escalation of the value of the Canadian dollar relative to when we first started,” Lonsberry adds. “It took the U.S. plants out of the scene, cutting us back to the two major plants in Western Canada, but (market) adjustments over a long period of time have allowed us to compete (in the U.S.) with a high dollar.”

So far, marketings have remained fairly steady even though Canada’s cattle numbers have dropped but 2011 is shaping up to be a different story. Sales volumes were down 11 per cent by May and Lonsberry suspects Canada’s shrinking cow herd will present the greatest challenge for NWCBP going forward.

They are close to their initial target of 50 members from Saskatchewan but well short of their goal of 300 Alberta members. Seven feeder-members are from Manitoba.

The bigger number when it comes to influencing the cash trade is how many fed cattle those members represent. At the close of 2010 the NWCBP membership controlled 320,000 fed cattle — well ahead of their initial target of 250,000 — 130,000 backgrounders and 24,000 cow-calf pairs, producing a weekly show list that ranges from 1,500 to 7,500 head.

Most weeks that has been enough to boost the bid for cattle on the show list, which in turn supports the cash market overall.

How it works Each week, marketing representatives build a show list of the cattle members have ready to sell. They try to describe all the cattle and estimate the grade and yield. Unless there is a 10 CATTLEMEN / AUGUST 2011

NWCBP 2011 board of directors: (l-r) back, Terr y Schetzsle, Robert Wolbert, Peter Boone, Dale Cannon, Jeff Warrack, front, Owen Almberg, Darr yl Sankey, Paul Adams, Ed Miller. Missing, Sam Buckle. significant difference in quality (or some cattle fit the requirements for a branded beef program) all fed cattle go onto one list with one asking price. Buyers don’t get to pick and choose.

Lonsberry and his crew keep close tabs on the markets, including a Wednesday code call with CBP marketers before they set their price “By then, we have a really good idea of what the markets will trade in that week and we can give our members the range. If they are comfortable with it, they give us the go ahead to sell their cattle in the range we have communicated.”

Every Monday at 2 p.m., NWCBP circulates the show list to packers in Western Canada and Northwestern U.S. If they’re interested, they call to get the ask price and say yes, no, or leave a counter bid. The first to offer the ask gets the cattle. If NWCBP doesn’t get its price or something within its range the members are polled to see if they want to sell the list at the highest bid, or roll the cattle to next week.

NWCBP generally schedules the delivery of the cattle, It’s up to the buyer and sellers to arrange the logistics.

Members are paid directly for their cattle and NWCBP charges them a marketing fee of $4.50 or $6 per head, depending on their membership category.

In 2008, NWCBP introduced a membership for producers selling only cull cows and bulls. It’s a fairly seasonal market, so some weeks there are no listings.

They also contract members’ cattle when the basis is right, as a risk management tool.

In future they hope to develop alliances with the retail trade to broaden their base of buyers.

The fact that the five producers who formed the interim board of directors in the founding year — Terry Schetzsle, Jeff Warrack, Ed Miller, Darryl Sankey from Alberta and Sam Buckle from Saskatchewan — remain actively involved on the board of directors is testimony to the durability of the consolidated selling formula for feedlot operators who wish to be competitive and remain independent.

For more information, visit www.nwcbp.com or give the office a call toll-free at 888-901-1986.

C — Debbie Furber www.canadiancattlemen.ca

MARKETING

RUTLEDGE RECOGNIZED His competitors put him in the marketers’ Hall of Fame

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

PHOTO CREDIT: DEBORAH WILSON

F

or a kid whose grade school teacher advised his parents that nothing short of capital punishment was in order to cure his disinterest in learning arithmetic, earning a place in the Livestock Markets Association of Canada’s (LMAC) Hall of Fame could be considered a remarkable accomplishment.

Fortunately for the cattle industry, the teacher had made a Freudian slip (intending to say corporal) and Roy Rutledge was given a second lease on learning his math. It turned out that all he needed was a few head of cattle in front of him! Not only did he go on to become a master at calling the numbers — winning the 1991 Saskatchewan auctioneering championship — but he learned them inside out as owner of the Assiniboia Auction Market, transforming it from a business he and his wife, Debbie, hoped would see 30,000 head a year into a force in livestock marketing in Canada selling 110,000 head annually prior to BSE. The Rutledges sold the market to Nilsson Brothers Inc. in 2002, but it continued to be business as usual with Roy and their son, Ryan, managing the operation under their company name of Rutledge Auction Management. In 2006, they took on management of the Weyburn Livestock Exchange under the same arrangement and have given the business the same workover that has made Assiniboia Auction Market the success it is today.

Rutledge says being recognized with the LMAC Hall of Fame honour is quite humbling because it’s like the Emmy of cattle marketing in that it comes from your competitors who make the nominations and vote on it.

LMAC established the award last year to recognize one of its own who has shown dedication to improving livestock marketing in Canada.

“There aren’t many moments of glory,” he says, so receiving the Canadian Angus Association market-of-theyear award at the same event made it

LMAC president Jim Abel presents the Hall of Fame plaque to Roy Rutledge. that much more special. Aside from those honours and receiving a Saskatchewan Livestock Association honour scroll in 2007, he says successful sales with good prices and everyone going home happy is reward in itself.

It did give him cause to look back and reflect on his long-lasting connection to the livestock industry that started back on the home ranch near Monitor, Alta. He worked on the ranch, at other ranches and odd jobs before getting his auctioneering diploma in 1980 and calling sales at the yards in Veteran, Cereal and Hanna, while running their own bulk fuel dealership in Consort. In 1986, they purchased the Assiniboia Auction Market. By 1999, the call of the land was nudging him toward setting up a cow-calf operation and they purchased land at Avonlea. When the time commitment and workload of running the market and the ranch became too much, he sold off the pairs in 2002 and went into grassing yearlings. They continued to expand the land base and added “last calf heifers” to the mix, buying used-up bred cows in the spring, letting them calve on pasture, weaning the calves in August and shipping the cows. With Ryan’s ranch next door, it’s all come together nicely for sharing equipment and labour.

Time-tested innovations Rutledge has always been proud of his hard-work ethic and self-reliance, but says he has never thought of himself as an innovator deserving of a prestigious award. He never set out to

change the industry. He just does what he thinks he needs to do and hopes it works out.

“I guess we did do some innovative things. There were a lot that didn’t work, but those that did, I guess we must have been doing it right because others followed,” he comments.

They started into presort sales in a big way and by 1987 had stopped holding regular calf sales altogether. As they remodelled the pens, they designed the facility so that the calves could be fed and watered before the sale. It was something he had seen Bill Sturm do when he was selling at Cereal in the early 1980s and Rutledge felt it was the right thing to do to look after the health of the calves.

The combination of presort sales and pre-sale feeding and watering set Assiniboia Auction Market apart from the rest. With strong buyer and seller support they went on to fine tune the system and introduced special presort sales for calves of specific breed influence, pulling more calves and more buyers their way.

He says people just couldn’t believe they would spend time and money to buy good-quality feed and a shredder to feed bawling calves because the common belief — or misunderstanding as it turned out — was that the calves wouldn’t eat it anyway. “Sure, they don’t stand there and eat a lot at one time. They pick a bit, bawl a bit, go to the water, lay down awhile, then start over again. The guys who do the feedContinued on page 12 CATTLEMEN / AUGUST 2011 11

Continued from page 11

ing can’t believe how much they eat,” he adds.

Buyers have told him it does make a difference because the calves walk off the truck and go straight to the feed and water. “Alberta gets lots of calves, but they don’t get all of them,” he says.

“A pile go east. Assiniboia has built a reputation as a place to buy cattle for

maintaining health if shipping long distances. In that way, it has helped promote Saskatchewan cattle Down East.”

He notes some of the other changes they made that may be considered innovative in the cattle-marketing sector: pioneering Internet auctions in 2001 by working with a young Moose Jaw company, Live Global Bid, that went on to specialize in car auctions; commissioning Hi-Hog to build the

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first double-deck loading ramp; and being among the first markets to buy into the Genesys Market Master presort program in 1988. Rutledge is proud of the input he was able to provide the company to meet the needs of presort sales.

The software is interfaced with the scale and calculates the pencil shrink, so all Rutledge has to do is assess the cattle and assign the sorting code.

He has codes for four types of calves based on how they should feed and grow. Pens for each code, sex and weight class are set up in the computer.

He calls out the sex and the code and the clerk enters it in the computer. The computer assigns a pen number, and the guys take the calf to that pen. At the end of the sale, the system retrieves all of the information required for the settlement statements.

There’s no playing favourites because the buyers have to be able to bid with confidence on the way the cattle are sorted, Rutledge explains.

The highest bidder can take his choice of like pens or all of them at the same bid price. If a buyer needs that type of cattle to fill an order, there’s no sitting out. He has to get going.

The southwest is big ranching country itself and with the draw from other areas, the market could see as many as half its yearly calf numbers fall into a six-week fall run. “We may have been the first in the province to put through 3,000 head a day and I know we were the first to hit a 4,000-, then 5,000-, then 6,000-head sale. Now we try to keep it to 4,500 head, which works pretty slick to get the sale wrapped up in under four hours,” Rutledge adds.

That’s not to say recent years haven’t brought their share of challenges and tough management decisions, but the business itself has to remain profitable in order to provide quality service.

Some 120,000 head go through two rings each year.

“If the things we have done get an extra five or 10 cents a pound for producers, then collectively we have put a lot of extra money into producers’ pockets,” Rutledge adds. “It’s good business for producers, good business for the buyers, and we got more business because of it.” The bonus is knowing that his counterparts feel that his dedication and innovations have improved livestock marketing in Canada.

C — Debbie Furber www.canadiancattlemen.ca

ANIMAL HEALTH SALES REPRENTATIVE Rutledge’s top 10

Rutledge is well known for his “Roy’s Bullpen” commentaries on industry issues and timely tips to help producers get the most from the marketplace. Here are 10 of his most timeless tips: 1. Castrate and dehorn properly. Bull calves are always discounted because someone somewhere down the line will have to do it and the stress of castrating older calves costs buyers money. Quality being equal, buyers who are willing to pay top dollar will choose hornless over horned cattle.

2. Parasite control is important. This is especially true for cows and backgrounded calves, but don’t do it just before you take them to the market. Give the product time to do its work. Cattle with healthy, thick hair coats catch the eye of the buyer.

3. Vaccinate diligently. The ongoing cost of BVD continues to be immense, but vaccinating your cow herd will help to stop the spread of the disease by preventing the birth of persistently infected calves that perpetuate the disease cycle. Vaccinations also help prevent abortions, stillborn and weak calves that don’t grow well and get discounted at sale time.

4. Proper nutrition pays. Nutritionists can work off your feed tests to design winter feeding programs for cows and backgrounders around the feedstuffs you have available and suggest least-cost ways to fill any shortfalls in energy, protein, vitamins and minerals. Having your cows in the right condition at calving improves live calf percentage rates, calf vigour and milking ability.

5. Creep feed cautiously. If you want to creep feed calves on pasture, be sure to provide a high-protein ration so they grow rather than fatten.

6. Plan ahead. In the fall, buyers still prefer calves fresh off the cow, but a lot of the shrink can happen at home if you have to be rounding up cattle just before loading. Bring them in from the pasture a couple of days ahead of time. Give your corrals a good look over to make sure the loading chute and gates are in good repair because the last thing you need is escapees to chase around. Designing a facility that makes it easy to separate pairs and load out is well worth the money spent.

7. Wean wisely. If you decide to wean, do it at least eight weeks in advance of selling the calves (six weeks might do if you’re an expert at it) and make absolutely sure that the calves have the best nutrition. If not, they will likely end up weighing less than they did at weaning and all of your work will be for naught. Buyers are wary of calves that haven’t had time to recover from weaning and start gaining because, not only do they look stale, but they are more apt to get sick. A good practice is to start feeding grain right away to get things off to a good start. If you have a limited amount of grain, feed it at the start of weaning rather than weaning them on hay and adding grain later.

8. Look them over before loading. Don’t ship animals that are sick. Be prepared to take less if you send animals with lumps, bumps or lameness.

9. Good marketing starts before the calf is born. Reputation herds have built their names on selecting genetics that yield calves with good length, hip and growth ability, following recommended vaccination practices and providing quality nutrition.

10. Auctions add value. Always, always sell by auction… or some lesser form of competitive bid!

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

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N u t r i t i o n

by John McKinnon John.mckinnon@usask.ca

Are you ready for silage season?

John McKinnon is a beef cattle nutritionist at the University of Saskatchewan

I

n terms of forage supply, silage remains a staple of backgrounding and finishing operations. Silage offers advantages both from an agronomic and a feed perspective. In terms of energy for maintenance and gain, corn silage that receives adequate heat units and is put up under proper conditions is a superior energy source to virtually all forages grown in Canada.

Barley silage is also a very good source of energy and protein for growing cattle. In addition to its excellent nutrient content, silage also facilitates feeding management in mixing and delivery and enhanced ration palability.

Putting up quality silage is one of the most important tasks facing feedlot operators at this time of year. Not only is it labour intensive but as the summer heats up, the time window for getting the job done right is short. Since many of you are either on or getting ready to get on the forage harvester, it is worthwhile to examine some of the basic management principles necessary for production of high quality silage.

Whether you are dealing with barley, corn or legumes, focus on cutting at the right stage of maturity, ensiling at optimal dry matter content, cutting to correct particle size, packing to exclude oxygen and covering the pile.

In Western Canada, barley silage is typically cut for silage at the early- to mid-dough stage. When stored in bunker silos, moisture content should be between 60 and 65 per cent. Harvesting at greater than 70 per cent moisture can lead to issues with fermentation, excessive seepage and nutrient loss.

Harvesting at less than 60 per cent can lead to issues with packing. In both cases, quality suffers. Corn typically is ensiled at 65 to 70 per cent moisture. Corn moisture content can be monitored by following milk line development after denting.

Values of one-half to two-thirds milk line are commonly used as targets for optimal maturity. However, depending on the conditions and variety, these values may not correspond to optimal moisture content for harvest. Actual monitoring of moisture is recommended to ensure the correct stage of maturity for cutting. For beef operations, alfalfa is best cut at five to 10 per cent bloom. Wilting may be necessary to achieve a desirable moisture level (68 to 70 per cent).

Ensiling at the proper state of maturity, particularly for cereals such as barley and corn ensures an adequate level of water soluble carbohydrates in the plant material. These carbohydrates are used by bacteria naturally found on the plant

14 Cattlemen / August 2011

to produce lactic acid is necessary for rapid pH decline and preserving as much dry matter and nutrient content of the original plant material as possible. Excellent-quality silage has a pH value of 3.5 to 4.2 while greater than 4.5 indicate a less-than-desirable fermentation. One of the difficulties with putting up good-quality alfalfa silage is its low water soluble carbohydrate content and its inherent high buffering capacity. These factors make it difficult to reach a desirable pH value with alfalfa silage.

Particle size is a function of your forage harvester and its operation. Particle size of cut forage can be controlled by adjusting feedroll speed and by adding or removing knives on the cutterhead. Slower feed rates and/or more knives result in a shorter cut length. Theoretical cut lengths of 3/8 inch for barley and alfalfa and up to 3/4 inch for corn (depending on use of a kernel processor) are considered desirable. Silage cut too long is difficult to pack; too short is not efficient.

Packing is critical to eliminate as much oxygen from the silage pack as possible. Too much oxygen can lead to an undesirable fermentation, mould growth and in some cases heat-damaged protein. The key to eliminating oxygen is packing, packing and more packing! Once the bunker is filled, the final step is covering the silage with an appropriate silage-grade plastic cover.

Covering helps to keep oxygen from penetrating into the top layer of the silage, as well as prevent environmental damage. Properly covered silage will have significantly reduced dry matter and nutrient losses, particularly in the upper three feet of the pack.

One question that often comes up is “should I use an inoculant or preservative?� There is no simple answer to this question as there are a host of factors influencing the response to these additives. In the case where corn or barley silage is put up properly, it is doubtful that silage inoculants will be of any great value. If conditions are less that optimal at ensiling, then the use of an inoculant may be justified as research has shown enhanced dry matter content, lower silage pH and in some cases improved animal performance when such products are used.

When dealing with grass or legume silage, it is easier to make a positive argument for the use of inoculants and preservatives. In such cases, it is a good idea to do your homework to ensure you are selecting the right product for the crop you are ensiling. www.canadiancattlemen.ca

® The CATTLEHEAD LOGO and IVOMEC® are registered trademarks of Merial Limited. © 2011 Merial Canada Inc. All rights reserved. IVMO-11-2554-JA MER-2090

MARKETING

B

LIFE IN A VALUE CHAIN

y the late 1990s, Canadian beef producers had begun to see the merit of value chains, which gave rise to producer-led initiatives such as Highland/Spring Creek Premium Beef and Diamond Willow Organic Beef in Alberta, Atlantic Tender Beef/Atlantic Beef Products in the Maritimes, and Ontario Corn Fed Beef and Field Gate Organics in Ontario.

Efforts on the part of beef producers to establish value chains escalated in the midst of trade issues brought about by the discovery of BSE in the Canadian herd in 2003. Prairie Heritage Beef and Canada Gold Beef headquartered in Alberta, along with Clear Creek Organics based in Saskatchewan, are three producer-led companies that grew out of that precarious time.

It can take a tremendous amount of time, energy and resources to bring a value chain into existence. Unfortunately, most chains fold within one to three years, according to Martin Gooch, director of the Value Chain Management Centre with the George Morris Centre in Guelph, Ont. So, what does it take to keep a value chain going? Will the improvement in commodity prices encourage the creation of value chains or draw partners away from them? CANADIAN CATTLEMEN talked with some professionals and producers involved in value chains to find out.

Realistic expectations Phil Ferraro, executive director of the P.E.I. Adapt Council, says the perception of what a value chain is and its purpose is one of the greatest challenges he encounters when working with groups. “With the old way, there may have been the expectation of a better price, but today it’s about what consumers want,” he says. “Enhancing the value of your product in the eye of the consumer may return a better price, or it may secure a market or increase sales volumes because you’ve developed relationships, built trust or have a mechanism for problem solving or innovation.”

Margurite Thiessen, value chain specialist with Alberta Agriculture and 16 CATTLEMEN / AUGUST 2011

Rural Development (ARD), says the desire to attain a positive return on investment is an important motivator; however, wanting a premium isn’t a trigger in itself. The fundamental reasons for wanting to form a value chain are to realize cost savings, improve efficiencies, product innovation, or to gain a greater degree of control over product quality, value or marketing.

In agriculture there is a fixation on price and production, but at the end of the day, it’s profit that counts, says Gooch. The benefit he most often sees in successful chains is the ability to

Martin Gooch improve profitability by reducing production and business costs, sometimes quite dramatically. The revenue-generating potential of a value chain comes from the ability to innovate quickly and profitably, to target new markets where the chain has potential to be No. 1 and to develop long-term shared strategies for financial sustainability.

The bottom line is that an expectation of improving profitability is reasonable; generating a premium for your product is a bonus.

Passionate partners The Alberta value chain guide (available at www.valuechain.alberta. ca ) outlines some of the risks people should consider when assessing whether committing to a value chain is truly the best approach for their own

business. Since many business activities and decisions are shared, partners will have to give up a degree of control and be more flexible in their individual business affairs. Not only could it take more time to arrive at decisions, but decisions made by the value chain will have implications for the individual enterprises and vice versa. Sharing of proprietary information or expertise may also be necessary.

“Potential partners really need to think about what value they could contribute to the alliance and whether what they are doing as individual businesses at the moment is the best way to add value for the consumer, Gooch adds.

“In the cold light of day, you also need to honestly ask yourself why someone would want to partner with you, rather than with a hundred others.

“Just because a person is interested in belonging to a value chain isn’t enough. The person has to have a driving desire to be part of the chain,” he says. “You don’t necessarily need a lot of people, but you do need people with the right attitude — the willingness to learn and to adapt to the concept of creating value through innovation rather than by increasing output.

Successful value chains find ways to promote the right attitude among their members. All partners share the benefits as well as the risks. Planning, decision-making, problem solving and conflict resolution are joint efforts.

The value chain as a whole is able to address the role of each partner, how the performance of the chain and each partner will be measured, and how each will be rewarded.

Return on investment might be an incentive for the chain but when you link it back to the individual partners the incentives might be about decreasing death loss, improving breeding targets or the break-even point for the herd. For the processor, it might be increased sales or efficiency. The key is to ensure the incentives can be measured and controlled in a way that keeps everyone motivated to continually improve.

To measure performance all partners must be willing to collect and share information. Equally as important, Gooch says, it lays the foundation www.canadiancattlemen.ca

for motivating people to remain committed to the chain by showing what the chain has achieved and how it benefits each player.

Fold or flourish Researchers who have studied value chains indicate that the reason they fail boils down to a small number of recurring factors. Gooch says they are usually missing one of the key requirements for success — effective governance, shared vision and strategy, mutual respect, leadership, compatible culture, collaboration, commitment, a win-win orientation; or a mindset suited to maintaining strong relationships.

To be successful, a value chain must create meaningful value for which consumers are willing to pay, position the value correctly in the marketplace, communicate how value will be consistently delivered to customers, and do it within a system that can’t be easily duplicated.

To survive, the chain has to be proactive about creating a learning environment, developing the capacity to recognize the value of new information, understand how to assimilate it, and use the knowledge to the chain’s competitive advantage in an ever-changing business environment that presents new challenges at every turn.

For more on this topic visit www.valuechain.alberta.ca and www.valuechains.ca.

C — Debbie Furber

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Timing is EvEryThing Getting a healthy newborn calf on the ground from each breeding female in your herd is the start to a successful year for your cow-calf business. The next step is keeping those calves healthy.

Scours is the most common disease in nursing beef calves before pasture turnout. Many pathogens that cause scours are naturally present to some degree in the gut and manure of cattle. In other words, viruses and bacteria that can cause calf scours are present in every calf’s environment. So how do you ensure that your calves are equipped to deal with this challenge?

The most vital factor in the control of calfhood diseases, particularly scours, is colostrum. Newborn calves depend on colostrum for immunity against diseases until they are old enough to generate their own protective immunity. Calves need to receive 4 to 6 liters of colostrum in their first 24 hours of its life-the earlier the better. If you’re not sure whether a calf has received enough colostrum, provide additional colostrum from the calf’s mother or a high-quality supplement. Calves born to heifers, calves that have had difficult births (delayed delivery, assisted at birth), and twin calves are particularly at risk for inadequate colostrum intake.

Vaccinating your pregnant cows and heifers against the common scours pathogens with SCOUR BOS® 9 will increase the protection against scours through their colostrum. Two things need to happen in order for this method to be effective. First, the cow must have optimum antibody concentrations present in her blood before she starts to make colostrum. Since cows begin to make colostrum 4 to 6 weeks before

calving1 vaccination should occur ahead of this, following label directions.

Second, the calf needs to receive sufficient colostrum within the first 24 hours of its life. Vaccinating pregnant cattle with SCOUR BOS® 9 has the added benefit of reducing the number of disease-causing pathogens shed in manure, thus reducing the calf’s chances of exposure.

Of course, vaccination and good colostrum management are only part of an effective scours prevention strategy. No amount of colostral immunity will counter an overwhelming environmental challenge! Therefore, it is essential to incorporate other management strategies, including: • Reducing manure contamination in the calving area by wintering cows away from the calving grounds, and moving cow-calf pairs to larger nursery areas as soon as possible after calving.

• Providing adequate shelter for your cow-calf pairs in the calving and nursery areas, and keeping these areas well-bedded and well-drained.

• Refraining from bringing in new animals to your herd during mid-to-late pregnancy and calving to reduce the likelihood of your established herd being exposed to unfamiliar pathogens.

• Isolating scouring calves in a separate area, away from the herd.

Calf scours is a complex and multi-factorial disease but with the right tools and timing, including proper vaccination with SCOUR BOS® 9 you can reduce the risk it poses to next year’s calf crop. Plan ahead and talk to your herd veterinarian about the best preventative strategies for your herd. sCOUr BOs

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1 Radostits O, Gay C, Hinchcliff K, Constable P (editors). Veterinary Medicine, 10th ed., 2007. Scour Bos is registered trademark of Novartis AG; used under license.

www.canadiancattlemen.ca 1106004_SB Advertorial CAN_7x5_4C_r1.indd

1

Cattlemen / August 17 7/15/112011 3:16 PM

LIFE IN A VALUE CHAIN

ONTARIO CORN FED BEEF

T

here’s nothing more motivating for members of a beef value chain than walking into a store or restaurant and seeing their brand name on the store shelf or beside an entree on a menu, says Jim Clark, executive director of Ontario Corn Fed Beef (OCFB) and the Ontario Cattle Feeders Association (OCFA) at Woodstock, Ont. That opportunity for producers and for Ontario consumers to purchase locally produced beef has doubled with the May reintroduction of OCFB in Loblaws retail stores, including Zehrs, Your Independent Grocer and value mart outlets in the province.

Loblaw’s senior vice-president of conventional fresh, Sal Baio, says there is a real desire on the part of consumers to purchase locally produced food.

Quality and competitive pricing are also important factors. Partnering with OCFB will help Loblaws meet those consumer preferences as well as its commitment to source product with integrity and locally to help support the sustainability of the beef industry.

It has taken more than a decade to move the initiative from a concept in 1999 to a sustainable reality, though Clark now realizes that’s not unusual in the big scheme of things. He’s been at the helm from the get-go and recalls that Alberta was promoting the original Alberta beef program at the time. It miffed him as to why he couldn’t find Ontario-identified beef in the stores.

He was confident that there was a place for a program of their own to make it easy for consumers to identify and purchase an Ontario brand of beef with known quality and production attributes, but they would have to do more as producers to tell their goodnews story and make it happen.

The OCFB brand was created and developed by a group that included cow-calf producers, feedlots, packers and industry representatives. It became the flagship brand of the OCFA formed only a year earlier in 1998, when feeders banded together with the goal of reclaiming and increasing beef’s market share in the province.

“The big thing is that I have been allowed to look down the road, think

18 CATTLEMEN / AUGUST 2011

Growing demand for local products led to the return of Ontario Corn Fed Beef to 156 Loblaws stores. about where the industry is headed and how to get there,” he says, admitting that there were times when they thought it would be easier not to do it than to persevere. “Now that we’ve made it this far, people on all sides realize we are in the game to stay and the brand really starts to mean something. Our producers take great pride in that.”

The OCFB brand was officially launched in 2001 with a retailer who had six stores, which required about 25 head per week. Things were rolling along just great — the brand resonated with consumers and producer acceptance was good, too, so it was a real shocker when the retailer closed out in 2002.

“That’s when reality set in,” Clark says. “We found out that we had been running before we walked and that we had a lot of developmental work left to do with the brand and building our customer base.” They moved onward by working with independent butchers, small retailers and food service outlets,

which helped to offset one another in balancing supply and demand.

The chain was nicely positioned to accommodate a surge of interest from retailers who were looking for a way to say “our beef is local” in the immediate wake of BSE. Production edged upward, nearing 450 head per week, however, things didn’t really move ahead until early 2007 when Loblaws began featuring OCFB in 100 Ontario stores. This experience showed them how important it is to have the production side really nailed down as it rose to 800 head per week.

Needless to say, it was a huge disappointment when the retailer made a move to supply stores across Canada with a single national branding strategy and dropped the OCFB contract at the end of the year.

Perseverance prevailed once again.

OCFB began working closely with the Beef Information Centre to identify customers and products to meet the Continued on page 20 www.canadiancattlemen.ca

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Gerit verit ocus ad pratusque consultuam nostris la vissolutusa rei ficae ario, cul consus mentrunum hos licaet inveren tistebu saterit vis hoctand ientius tarta ventren itamei publiem quitam ora publi crum unrl h non

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©2011 Farm Business Communications

The Ontario Corn Fed Beef mobile kitchen promotes the brand at local events.

Continued from page 18

needs of those customers along with point-of-sale materials.

The Loblaw relaunch adds another 156 locations to the 125 stores, butcher shops and restaurants across Ontario and a handful of locations in the northeastern states that carry OCFB. Clark anticipates production to ramp up within the next six months from the current 2,500 to 3,000 head per week to near 4,000 head per week to obtain the balance of cuts required to meet the growing demand. Loblaw expects its demand could represent close to 3,000 head per week once the program is in full swing.

Clark and the OCFA’s commitment to the branding program has been the cornerstone of its success, however, they haven’t gone it alone. They’ve been successful at developing working relationships with suppliers, service providers and processors and have garnered support from the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association, the Beef Information Centre and the provincial and federal governments.

“I feel we are having success because we aren’t competing with any of the other sectors. They know that we really don’t have interest in owning plants, running stores or operating feed companies. Those specialized services are already there so we are trying to work with them by complimenting what they do,” Clark explains.

Lesson learned: Branding is a long process and it takes a lot of money to stay in the game, but never say never and don’t ever let down your guard, especially when it comes to promoting your product. Even though everything is coming together nicely for OCFB, the board has recently purchased a 20 Cattlemen / August 2011

mobile kitchen to take to community events because members feel it’s just as important now as it was in the beginning to be out and about telling their story and keeping their brand in the front of consumers’ minds.

How it works The OCFB branding process begins at the feedlot level. There is no requirement to be a member of the OCFA, which today represents 110 family-run operations that finish 55 per cent of the fed beef in the province. Now that they’ve built the foundation, OCFB is looking at ways to draw Ontario cow-calf producers and backgrounders into the fold.

Participating farms must be approved through the OCFB quality-assurance training program. Currently, there are about 500 approved farms and OCFB is looking to bring another 200 on stream as the brand moves forward.

The Guelph Food Technology Centre was contracted to develop the protocols and quality-assurance program with corn grain and corn products comprising at least 80 per cent of the finishing diet. OCFB’s quality-assurance manager, Dave Murray, works with the participating feedlots to ensure that the requirements are met and the health and feed records are in order.

Efforts are now underway to develop a system to match the OCFB program needs with those of the national traceability program.

The feedlots market their finished cattle to the processing plants with an affidavit confirming that the cattle meet the specifications for the OCFB brand. OCFB contracts the services of the Canadian Beef Grading Agency to verify production through the plant to

the box. Only Canada AA and Canada AAA beef qualifies for the OCFB label.

The plants ship the product directly to retail and food service customers who have signed no-cost licensing agreements with OCFB. Packer participation has definitely been a success factor. The provincially inspected Norwich Packers plant has been a strong supporter of OCFB from the outset. Four federally inspected packers are now participating as well: Cargill at Guelph, St. Helen’s, Ryding Regency and Corrsetti at Toronto.

Morton Wholesale is the food service wholesaler.

It works both ways because the packers want to retain their feedlot customers who are in the OCFB program and the feedlots in the OCFB program are motivated to do business with packers who want what they produce.

“We have to realize that at the end of the day, it’s the consumer who has the final say. The reality is that retailers can bring in their beef supply from anywhere and packers can purchase cattle from anywhere. As the OCFB program evolves we have a great opportunity to make sure our beef we produce here goes ahead of other suppliers. Our job is to build awareness of our brand, get consumers wanting it and make it easy for them to find it in the stores. Consumer demand will drive the tonnage, allowing us to feed more cattle right here in Ontario.”

It’s a story he has told many times at meetings with producers looking for premiums and it always ends with the same take-home message: “What will be the cost of not stepping up and getting behind OCFB as a program you own?”

For more information visit www.

C ontariocornfedbeef.com.

— Debbie Furber www.canadiancattlemen.ca

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LIFE IN A VALUE CHAIN

FIELD GATE ORGANICS

W

hen Ted Soudant talks about Field Gate Organic’s (FGO) story, he wonders where the time went! It’s coming on nine years since a group of 12 organic beef producers approached him about the feasibility of forming a company to sell their beef. They had three goals: to gain more control in marketing, to receive a fair price, and to secure a future for their farms and families. When all was said and done, he advised them to take ownership of the company and agreed to do up a business plan and give them five years of his time.

Today, Soudant is the president of FGO at Zurich, Ont., which is owned by the 12 producers along with 30 other shareholders, almost all of whom are organic producers.

They are proud to operate a value chain that is capable of delivering certified organic beef, pork, lamb and chicken from farms across Canada, through processing to retailer customers and consumers.

The company owns FGO Organic Processing Ltd. at Ingersoll, Ont., which is the only 100 per cent organic, multi-species, federally inspected processing plant in Canada. Having received North American organic certification status last summer, FGO is poised to begin selling into U.S. markets and is currently working through the labelapproval process with U.S. regulators.

FGO meat products are available from 41 retail outlets in Ontario, including FGO’s original store at London, Ont., which has a loyal customer base that is more than happy to offer feedback on new products before they are introduced to the marketplace.

Attaining this level of success would have seemed like an impossible dream during FGO’s first year in operation.

The company was incorporated in December, 2002 and by May it had a retailer on board preparing for the launch.

May, 2003 strikes a sour chord across the Canadian beef industry as commodity prices tumbled when BSE devastated export markets.

“All of a sudden, retailers were making great margins on commodity beef and didn’t want to give space to organic beef unless it could provide the same margin,” Soudant explains. “In essence, we skipped Phase 1 of our business plan and went straight into the second phase and opened our own outlets in three cities.” Phase 1 was successfully reactivated in 2005.

Finding a packing plant that could handle organic product wasn’t difficult. Finding one that was large enough and could do the job up right was the real challenge. FGO worked with five plants during the first four years, then, as fate would have it, the provincially inspected plant that proved to be the best fit closed up shop on short notice.

FGO arranged to help keep the plant in operation for a couple of months to give the board time to consider its next move.

The decision to sign a lease with an agreement to purchase the plant was seen as the only way in which the shareholders would ultimately be able to realize their original goal of achieving long-term security. Federal status followed a year later in 2008 after Soudant and plant manager Mark

22 CATTLEMEN / AUGUST 2011

(l to r) president, Ted Soudant; retail manager, Dan Murphy and plant manager, Mark Soudant.

Soudant revamped the entire layout of the plant, designing the operating and food safety protocols as well as the equipment to efficiently handle everything from 55-pound lamb carcasses to 1,000-pound beef carcasses.

FGO is currently processing approximately 1,000 head of cattle annually and expects the number to double within the next year to accommodate new markets. Soudant says the plant does have capacity to take on custom processing. They can process a liner load (45 head) of cattle per day when dry aging the beef the traditional way as is the process for FGO beef. However, that could be bumped up to two trailers a day for customers who prefer the wet-pack method.

With his background in marketing, logistics and structuring companies, Soudant was well aware there would be challenges — every company has them; however, he also realized that keeping 40 individual businesses going down the same road would present a special set of challenges.

That’s the primary reason he recommended setting up the company as a corporation rather than as a cooperative. Investing in shares in a company provides producers with more incentive to stick with it through the rough times; whereas, there isn’t the same commitment when paying a minuscule membership fee to belong to a co-operative, he explains. Second, the board of a corporation is responsible to the shareholders, but it has absolute and full control over the company’s affairs and the power to make decisions without going to the shareholders. This allows a corporation to adjust to changing circumstances far more quickly than a co-operative structure can facilitate.

The company has now evolved to the point where it has managers dedicated to specific departments, which is allowing the board to leave more of the day-to-day operating details to the management team.

Realizing that not all producers would have the funds or desire to become shareholders and that the supply of certified organic livestock is still fairly limited in Canada, FGO www.canadiancattlemen.ca

has always purchased livestock from non-shareholders. Quality being equal, FGO tries to purchase from shareholders first. Shareholders currently deliver about 50 per cent of the cattle, with the remainder coming from all provinces except Atlantic Canada.

“With organic beef, it’s a constant, constant balancing act to match supply and demand. The demand side is fairly constant but the supply side can be challenging,” Soudant says. “Most producers want to calve in the spring and sell finished calves into the under-30-month market, but our customers want beef 52 weeks of the year. Sometimes I would be dealing with five trailers a

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

week and at other times I’d be lucky to get two trailers a month. A monetary incentive, within reason, during times of tight supply has worked very well to encourage producers to plan calving, finishing and delivery periods to help even out the supply.

There’s still some fluctuation, but it has come around fairly well and I have to give hats off to the producers for that accomplishment.”

Soudant recalls telling the original producers right from the start that there would be times ahead when they’d regret the day they had ever put their money down and said “let’s do it!” As his account reveals, there have been days like that. Some of the

challenges were anticipated — such as having to forgo some individuality to produce a uniform product. Others, like the economic downturn that hit Ontario particularly hard, were unforeseeable.

“With a company, you can never sit still. You have to always try to keep moving forward,” he says. He definitely relates to the author who wrote that starting a new business is like having a newborn child — both demand all of the time and attention you can give. The difference is that the business never grows up.

For more information, visit www.

C fieldgateorganics.com.

— Debbie Furber

Cattlemen / August 2011 23

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HOLISTIC RANCHING

I

Flooding

want to preface this article by giving you some personal information. I consider myself to be a conservationist. By this I mean that I believe that the resources of the world are finite. We have a responsibility to manage the resources so that future generations will have an opportunity to enjoy what we enjoy.

Preserving and enhancing the ecosystem should be a priority.

The weather patterns seem to be changing. Both floods and droughts seem to be occurring with greater frequency and in more areas. There seems to be more flooding in Western Canada as time passes. Last year northeastern Saskatchewan was extremely wet. This year it is southern and southeastern Saskatchewan where the flooding is most severe. Manitoba has had serious flooding problems for the last four or five years.

This year it is even worse and covers a larger area.

A similar picture can be drawn for Eastern Canada, the U.S. and other areas around the world. A logical question is: when there is this much flooding and devastation around the world is there a common denominator?

I believe there is. The common denominator is the management paradigm that is currently popular and is being applied around the world. This paradigm is driven by production. There is little or no concern for soil health or the long-term sustainability of our society.

This paradigm calls for extensive drainage, farming corner to corner and the planting vast tracts of monoculture crops. The result is an ineffective water cycle over millions of acres. An ineffective water cycle reduces the ability of the soil to hold water, which in turn leads to more run-off happening more quickly. This problem is made even worse by all the drainage work that has been done.

Most of the flooding we see is man made. It is due to a poor water cycle and drainage. It is obvious that the amount of rainfall is a factor however that is beyond our control. The water cycle and drainage are in our control and are a more significant factor than the amount of rainfall.

The current situation, which has taken many years to develop, is that we have less area available to hold water. This has occurred as we build larger and larger urban areas usually along our rivers and as we increase recreation and acreage areas. The result is more water arriving more quickly into a smaller area. Is it any wonder that we experience more flooding?

Our response to flooding has largely been one of treating the symptom. We sandbag and while this may save some properties in the short term it does nothing to treat the cause of the problem. Treating the symptom and ignoring the cause will never lead to sustainability.

What is the true cost of this flooding? I certainly don’t know and I doubt that anyone ever totals it up.

26 CATTLEMEN / AUGUST 2011

The cost includes the time and money spent sandbagging, pumping, insurance and renovations for home owners, evacuations — along with the mental and physical stress — lost production on millions of acres and the insurance coverage on the same acres. The list goes on and on.

One cost usually ignored is the human cost. How many people suffer from depression, family breakdown, divorce or even suicide as a result of this flooding?

Treating the symptom is readily accepted as a good response by government and most people. We all know of heroic stories of people helping each other in difficult times. Communities tend to pull together. This is very good but at some point we need to ask: are we treating the cause of the flooding?

I believe it is time to ask those hard questions. As a society we need to look at the causes of this flooding. We need to make changes so our society is more sustainable. That takes leadership. We need to realize that our decisions today have a direct impact on our children and grandchildren. The first nation’s people have a saying “we are influenced by the seven previous generations and we influence the seven following generations.” I believe this is true. I believe we can do better.

I don’t have an answer for what the future needs to look like. However I do have some suggestions and a strong belief that we can find a better way. Holistic management can help us.

We need to manage for soil health. If we don’t preserve and enhance our environment we will destroy ourselves. A more sustainable future will include things like better grazing practices (planned grazing). We will require more trees and wetlands in our landscape.

More wetlands means there must be less drainage.

There will be more diversity of crops grown on the land. This will include polycropping and cocktail cropping. As strange as it seems in today’s society I think that in the future we will have more farmers farming smaller acreages.

I am not sure how this will occur. The change needs to start with our recognition that as a society we need to enhance our environment. Society needs to recognize that farmers not only produce food but they are also critical to preserving the ecosystem. As such, farmers need to be paid for these services. This compensation may be in terms of higher food prices or some form of payment for the ecological goods and service farmers provide. How much money would flow to agriculture if the cost of flooding was recognized and that money was channelled into agriculture?

We are being challenged. We can do better. The sooner we start to change the easier it will be. I invite you to consider some of these issues. What future do you desire for future generations?

— Don Campbell Don Campbell ranches with his family at Meadow Lake, Sask. He can be reached at 306-236-6088.

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

VET ADVICE

T

Modernizing an industry

radition still drives much of what we do in agriculture today, but unchecked, tradition establishes stale and ineffective methods of reaching those who seek our services or consume products we produce. The world of communication has changed. The animal health game has changed. Staying ahead often means doing new and different things, and relegating custom to the back burner.

In the contemporary world, marketing is about attracting people actively searching for products and services online. Getting found by customers is the strategy behind “inbound marketing” where people marketing a product or service earn their way by publishing useful information potential customers can readily access and understand.

Inbound or “permission marketing,” the new label, is about building relationships beforehand in contrast to the traditional approach to marketing where providers of services and goods bought or begged their way in the door through paid advertisements and commissioned sales people.

It’s a new game at all levels. Agriculture needs to get on side to take advantage of the way people communicate and do research. People wanting to sell products and services must look at the challenges consumers face and the types of solutions they seek. It may be a new mom trying to make long-term buying decisions around red meat — how it is produced, what cut provides the best buy for the dollar and how to cook it. In the same breath, she is concerned about food safety at the supermarket and the relationship between how it is produced at the ranch. People coming through the front door have probably used search engines, read blogs and tapped into social networks to find answers to questions and formulate purchasing decisions. They seek solutions that give them comfort and trust.

Are we adequately prepared to provide clear, simple, accessible information? Are those assumed to be in the know aware how the process of providing information has suddenly evolved? The crux of renewal resides in the answers.

It is no longer good enough to just produce beef or pork or chicken and set it into supermarket coolers expecting consumers to come. In the same light, success for the graduate veterinarian is far beyond a degree from veterinary college, hanging a shingle on a clinic in rural Western Canada and expecting business to happen.

David Meerman Scott in his book THE NEW RULES OF MARKETING AND PR is adamant there are new rules about marketing and public relations and they are explicit: • Marketing is more than just advertising.

• Public relations (PR) is for more than just a mainstream media audience.

• You are what you publish.

• People want authenticity, not spin.

• People want participation, not propaganda.

• Marketing is about delivering content at the moment the audience needs it.

• Marketing is about reaching underserved audiences via the web.

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

• PR is consumers seeing your organization on the web, not about a boss being seen on TV. • Marketing is about your organization winning business, not about an agency winning rewards.

• Organizations must drive people into the purchasing process with great online content.

• Blogs, online video, e-books, news releases, and other forms of online content communicate directly with buyers in a form they appreciate.

Agriculture can learn from what’s happening in mainstream business.

Demand remains the top issue facing the beef industry.

In Canada, the industry is still bobbing in the eight-yearlong wake of BSE, the single biggest economic downturn ever faced by the red meat industry. Despite the hard lessons most assumed were learned through a decade of mischance, industry leaders still duke it out in the media.

Consumers in search of answers about issues unfamiliar to them need help understanding the link between things like codes of practice, biosecurity and welfare, or between traceability and disease surveillance.

I get asked almost daily about why there are still so many welfare issues around raising beef, why producers resist using anti-inflammatories and painkillers for painful procedures like castration and dehorning, or why there is resistance to identifying animals today that are about to become food tomorrow. Many still do not understand why replacement hormones in a castrated steer do not represent a safety issue, or why those who choose to buy “organic” beef and pay the premium cannot freely exercise that option rather than being chastised or befuddled by extremists on both sides of the issue. We must learn to tell the stories clearly and without bias. Then having given account, make it readily available on computer screens and smartphones, or through blogs, tweets and You Tube for people who ride the light rail transit, or for the rancher navigating the Internet over morning coffee while contemplating the economic options around BVD vaccination. Options and personal choices are key. Consumers want to hear from those they believe to be credible, especially the families that produce food in ways that don’t bankrupt the earth.

Messages about livestock production must align with the shared beliefs and values of consumers. They have a hard time comprehending why the industry debates the value of electronic identification over hot-iron branding.

A generation weaned on CSI Miami doesn’t understand that the technology to DNA fingerprint every calf isn’t yet within our grasp, but someday will be.

The standard provision that “we’ll try something new when we get paid for it” perplexes many consumers seeking reassurance that safe and wholesome food is Dr. Ron Clarke prepares this column on behalf of the Western Canadian Association of Bovine Practitioners. Suggestions for future articles can be sent to CANADIAN CATTLEMEN (gren@fbcpublishing.com) or WCABP (info@wcabp.com).

CATTLEMEN / AUGUST 2011 27

Auction Market Special

TEAM is streaminG Video and audio have been added to the company’s Internet sales

T

EAM (The Electronic Auction Market) Auction Sales of Calgary rolled out its new look with streaming video and audio broadcast over the Internet live from the International Livestock Auctioneering Championship hosted by the Calgary Stockyards (CSY) at Strathmore as part of Calgary Stampede week.

TEAM general manager Jason Danard says the event was a grand opening of sorts for the new broadcast service which highlights TEAM’s 25th year of operation under the ownership of CSY, which itself has a colourful history dating back to 1903 when it was established along the Canadian Pacific rail line in Calgary.

Video in conjunction with real-time online bidding and phone-in bidding, will now be used to broadcast live regular and special cattle sales at CSY, as well as off-site TEAM auctions of purebred cattle and agriculture-related products and services. CSY will also be making the video broadcast service available to other auction markets and auction companies that want to subscribe.

Streaming video and audio will replace still photos of cattle at ranches and feedlots giving a new look and feel to TEAM’s original electronic marketplace that runs without live sales in progress. For those sales, the computer automatically accepts online bids from registered, pre-approved buyers and the bidding activity is displayed on the screen just as it is during Internet broadcasts of live sales. Once the final bid is in on each lot, TEAM immediately contacts the seller by phone or email to confirm whether he or she will accept the bid.

The personal touch isn’t lost just because there isn’t an auctioneer calling the sale, Danard adds. TEAM agents work closely with sellers describing, photographing and videotaping the cattle at the farm or feedlot. Everything is co-ordinated through the central office in Calgary, making phone support readily available to sellers and buyers before, during and after the sale. TEAM also works with buyers to set up brand inspection and transportation. Financial transactions are handled through the Calgary office and commission is charged only when the cattle are sold.

Finished cattle are now scheduled to sell via the electronic format on Thursday mornings, followed by feeder cattle on Friday mornings. Though electronic sales do offer the convenience of being able to post notice of a sale quickly to respond to sellers’ marketing needs, Danard suggests contacting your TEAM representative to make arrangements at least a week ahead of your target sale date for finished and feeder cattle, cull cows, and cow-calf/bred heifer sales.

Purebred sales are a different matter. Dates are booked weeks or even months in advance to allow TEAM to promote the upcoming sale on its sales calendar and develop the sales catalogue and video and photos of each animal that is placed on the website well ahead of the event.

“A huge advantage of listing early for any sale is that the pictures, video and description of your cattle go up on the TEAM website right away, giving your cattle maximum presale exposure,” Danard notes.

28 Cattlemen / August 2011

Jason Danard The industry’s acceptance of electronic auctions has been nothing short of phenomenal. It took 20 years for TEAM Auction Sales to reach the three-million-head mark, with much of that growth occurring since 2002, when the company was the first to introduce online cattle auctions with real-time Internet bidding. During the past five years alone, the number of cattle sold through TEAM has increased by another million even with numerous companies now in the electronic marketplace and others introducing alternative direct-marketing schemes for all classes of cattle.

The number of registered users (buyers and consignors) has jumped from 8,000 five years ago to 15,000 today and the user base has expanded from mainly the three westernmost provinces to points across North America. The website gets thousands of hits each week from observers following market trends because of the frequency of the sales, the sales volumes and the geographic location, Danard adds. TEAM sends email reminders to all registered buyers prior to select sales.

“Now, as the supply of cattle gets tighter and tighter, TEAM Auction Sales is giving buyers access to cattle from all over that they wouldn’t otherwise have access to,” Danard says. “At the same time, markets are becoming more and more global and producers are becoming more and more informed. Any given day, any class of cattle could be at the top of the market. With TEAM, sellers can always have access to the highest market.” www.canadiancattlemen.ca

“Be Competitive, Sell by Auction” In touch with the times Danard learned the cattle-marketing business from the ground up, helping his dad, Don, at the Edmonton Stockyards. In 1988, the Danards moved to Calgary to join Will Irvine at the CSY. Irvine had taken a leap of faith two years earlier by leasing technology from the Ontario Livestock Exchange (OLEX), to introduce electronic marketing to Western Canada and coined TEAM as the name of the new service offered through CSY. At that time, electronic meant the use of datapac technology adopted from the banking industry. It was a closedloop system that could accommodate up to 200 users at a time and was used almost exclusively for marketing fat cattle to packers.

TEAM played a central role in putting competition back into the fat cattle trade during a time when the whole business model was changing as the number of farmer-feeders was on the slide, while commercial feedlots grew in size and many were already dealing directly or aligning with packers.

It was a more efficient way to sell fats, Danard says, but it lacked competition and the true price discovery inherent in the auction market system.

Though TEAM and OLEX used the same electronic technology in the days prior to the Internet, the companies are separate entities and have since gone their own ways to develop Internet-based technologies that suit the needs of their clients.

Despite advancements in the electronic cattle trade, Danard says there will always be a place for physical auction markets, though he suspects the sector will continue along the path of consolidation with the rest of the industry.

The electronic systems have largely been designed for trading liner load lots — about 40-some fats or 70-plus feeders, depending on their weights — because the buyers pay for trucking from the farm and ideally need to run with full loads. Auction markets, on the other hand, are designed to handle any lot size of all classes of cattle.

Through continuous upgrades to their facilities and introducing new services, they have built up a dedicated following of seller and buyers.

CSY itself has undergone significant changes since the move to Strathmore in 1990. It proved to be a change for the better, offering easy access outside of big-city limits in a prime cattle area with lots of room to expand the infrastructure.

The penning areas for incoming and outgoing cattle have been completely rebuilt over time with steel pens on concrete throughout, with the exception of five large pasture pens for freshening long-haul cattle.

The facility is designed for efficient and low-stress flow of large volumes of cattle from the receiving end with three unloading chutes and two drive-through chutes, to the sorting and holding pens that can accommodate 5,000 head, through the floating ring scale, into the outgoing pens and on their way down the road through four loading chutes and a drive-through at the opposite end of the yard.

CSY runs regular sales every Thursday year round. Herd dispersals and bred cow and heifer consignment sales are slotted in on Wednesdays, and special calf sales are generally scheduled on Saturdays during the fall run, with production sales taking that time slot during the spring.

For more information contact CSY at 403-934-3344 or TEAM at 402-234-7429.

C — Debbie Furber www.canadiancattlemen.ca

You can sell with confidence when you consign your livestock with one of the bonded, licensed, member markets of the livestock markets association of canada

Leading the way in the past and aiming for the future are the member markets of the Livestock Markets association of canada. as members of the Livestock Markets association of canada, we are committed to bringing all producers, large and small, the most competitive markets possible.

Where you Are AlWAyS ASSured of • The BesT Price • Full service • immediaTe PaymenT

no other way of marketing your livestock has the competitive edge of the auction arena. a place where buyers and sellers meet and a direct link between what the producer has to sell and what the buyers wants is reflected in the price.

Livestock Markets association of canada www.lmacmarkets.ca Jim abel, President stettler, aB t0c 2L0 (403) 742-2368 fax (403) 742 8151

Mike fleury, Past-President Box 177 aberdeen, sk s0k 0a0 (306) 382-8088 fax (306) 382-8319

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ASSINIBOIA LIVESTOCK AUCTION • Constantly creating value for cattle producers for decades.

• To buy cattle you can log on to www.dlms.ca & bid with confidence over the Internet during any Presorted sale.

(Dates listed in the stock buyers guide).

• Cattle are sorted uniformly to suit the Lucrative Eastern Orders a sort you can trust.

• We offer an order buying service also.

assiNiBoia livestock auctioN Assiniboia, Sask • Phone (306) 642-5358 email: ala@assiniboiaauction.com Cattlemen / August 2011 29

Auction Market Special

Steady as she goes at Stettler

S

tettler Auction Mart is able to lay claim to being one of the first in a wave of country auction markets that sprung up during the early 1950s outside of Calgary and Edmonton. Until then the two public stockyards had served the whole of Alberta for more than half a century with livestock of all descriptions coming and going by rail.

As roads and vehicles continued to improve after the Second World War farmers came to appreciate the convenience of selling their stock at markets closer to home.

Just as Stettler Auction Mart founders, Charlie McKay and Ace Pratt, were party to the major shift in the livestock auction sector from the cities to the rural areas and rails to roads, the second generation of the McKay family and current owners, Jim and Marilyn Abel and Greg and Karen Hayden, have been part of a new era that has seen many small auction markets disappear from the countryside. The survivors have had to be nimble to adjust to ever-changing technology, increasing regulation and escalating operating costs while the cattle trade has become increasingly mobile in a global marketplace that is sparking consolidation throughout the meat industry.

Abel speaks highly of the resilience of the entire Canadian beef industry in its response to meeting a string of significant challenges during the past decade. Most recently, it’s the downswing in the number of cow-calf producers and overall cattle numbers that’s on everyone’s mind.

Cattle numbers are fairly steady in the Stettler area, Abel says, though there are getting to be fewer producers with the trend away from mixed farms as operations grow larger and more specialized.

Stettler Auction Mart has introduced a number of changes in recent years to meet the fast-paced changes in the cattle trade, while managing to retain a hometown charm of days gone by. Any day of the week you’ll find people in the concession area lingering over coffee, conversation and a game of cards, while just outside the door is the latest in traceability technology.

The market gave mixed-owner presort sales a try about 10 years ago — around the time when weaner hogs all but disappeared from auction rings. It happened quickly, too, Hayden recalls. Within a couple of years they went from selling hogs twice a week to none at all.

While they quickly discovered that mixed-owner presort sales weren’t for them, the show-alley style of presort sales, with individual ownership of cattle sorted by sex, weight and quality, were well received by ranchers and buyers alike. For eight years now, show-alley pens have been selling at the end of regular sales.

They also run a type of video sale that’s gone over well for trading cattle directly from ranch to ranch or feedlot. A field representative describes and videotapes cattle on the farm, and the video is shown on a screen in the ring at the end of the regular sale. Bids are accepted ringside, online and by phone for the video sales at the mart, and off-site sales where there is high-speed Internet service.

Sheep and goats have made a comeback in the area and regular monthly sales were added to the schedule last January. Horse sales remain steady with about 1,000 mov30 Cattlemen / August 2011

Owners Jim Abel (l) and Greg Hayden. ing through the ring each year. Cattle numbers tally around 70,000 a year.

Regular cattle sales run Tuesdays throughout the year with a second weekly sale on Fridays during the fall run from September through December. Then, they’re into the spring run of backgrounded calves from January through May. Bred cow and heifer sales are scheduled weekly from midNovember through to Christmas and monthly in the spring, with herd dispersals and bull/production sales arranged as booked, either at the market or on the farm.

Between Abel and Hayden and four field representatives, farms across a wide belt of the region will receive a visit from Stettler Auction Mart to look at the cattle, offer pricing advice, discuss market trends, and assist with a marketing plan.

They also offer an in-house order buying service.

The main facility, constructed in 1953, is still in use today, however the outside area has been revamped with steel pens on concrete and a closed-in working and holding area annexed to the back of the main building. The catwalk runs straight from the bleacher area, through the annex and across the outdoor pens in a T shape for easy viewing of the cattle. The feed and water pens will accommodate 3,000 head and they can hold about 4,500 head in total.

The ring is designed for easy flow of cattle as they enter from the annex through a gate at the side of the ring, turn around at the far end, and return to exit from a second gate beside the entry gate.

As a participant in Alberta Agriculture’s auction market traceability pilot project, they’ve already installed equipment to read radio frequency identification tags. With large groups tag numbers are picked up by panel readers www.canadiancattlemen.ca

as cattle pass through a high-flow chute situated between the unloading and penning areas. Small groups are scanned with a three-metre wand from a catwalk over the unloading area. Another high-flow panel system is mounted on the load-out ramp.

Hayden says some changes to the infrastructure and flow of cattle (especially for animals that had to be sorted and retagged) were necessary to accommodate the trial. Further changes will be needed to accommodate a permanent setup once they know what is required, if the scanning of animals at auction markets becomes mandatory.

The Stettler Auction Mart is a member of the Alberta Auction Markets Association and Livestock Markets Association of Canada. As vice-president and now president of the LMAC Abel and his counterparts across Canada have been negotiating with the federal government for a few years now to ensure that traceability requirements are workable and fair to the auction markets.

Hayden and Abel are cautiously optimistic about the current market for cattle. Canadian feedlots are current, and once the contracted cattle are through the system, they expect to see strong demand for calves this fall. In the long term, if the normal cycle holds, there should be enough prosperity in the market to ensure some rebuilding of the national herd.

For more information, contact Stettler Auction Mart at 403-742-2368, or visit www.stettlerauction.ab.ca.

C — Debbie Furber

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Cattlemen / August 2011 31

Auction Market Special

MARKETS MOVE CLOSER TO TRACEABILITY DECISION

T

raceability was once again the hot topic at the summer annual meeting of the Livestock Markets Association of Canada in Waterloo, Ont. The markets still have some concerns about Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s (AAFC) new three-year, $20-million Livestock Auction Traceability Initiative (LATI) which covers 80 per cent of the cost of installation and scanning equipment of up to $100,000 for markets, assembly yards, feedlots, backgrounders, fairs/exhibitions, private community pastures and other commingling sites.

“Without a clear traceability plan that outlines the requirements and standards that our members are expected to meet, it’s very difficult to respond to a resource (funding) initiative,” explains LMAC president Jim Abel of Stettler, Alta.

The markets had sought a program that covered 90 per cent of their infrastructure costs since the didn’t believe that they would see any direct dollar benefit from reading RFID numbers.

However, they can and have been charged for selling animals without an approved electronic ear tag even though the regulations stipulate that it is the responsibility of the seller to ensure that animals are properly tagged or arrange for the market to have them tagged upon arrival.

Adding to the confusion, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is looking at withdrawing official tagging station status for auction markets, which begs the question of whether markets will be able to accept untagged cattle in future. If not, it would surely push more cattle into direct sales routes.

Abel says CFIA officials have assured the LMAC that even if the markets are delisted they will still be able to tag animals that arrive without tags.

LMAC board member Rick Wright says one of the challenges all along has been getting firm answers in writing rather than verbal prom32 Cattlemen / August 2011

ises from government. Part of it is related to staff changes within the department. “With the current staff, I feel we’ve made great strides over the past year with AAFC and CFIA,” Wright says. “Much of it is due to a real effort on their part to learn about and understand the intricacies of our business.”

Market neutrality remains a stumbling block. If markets must record cattle movement, LMAC says the same requirement should apply to private treaty and electronic sales. “We love competition, but we need to look out for our industry and make sure it’s a level playing field, especially if it ends up that markets have to charge the cost back to sellers and buyers,” says Abel.

Donna Henuset, the Canadian Cattle Identification Agency traceability project manager, updated the LMAC members on the second phase of the national traceability study. In the first phase 500,000 cattle were scanned at 10 auction markets with 93 per cent accuracy. Phase 2 focused on documenting the benefits of traceability to vendors, in this case the auction marts.

Several buying stations were added to the test and different configurations of readers were used to scan some 390,000 head. Costs were higher and performance lower. Global read rates dropped to 89 per cent across all the sites, one recorded a 14 per cent drop in accuracy from the first trial.

An Alberta study tested equipment and software from one vendor under different configurations in six markets of varying size across the province.

Overall 248,000 head were scanned with a 91.42 per cent read rate with no intervention. When the cattle with no tags, bar code tags, dual or dirty tags were excluded the average read rate rose to 96.95 per cent. Almost 83 per cent of the groups had a 100 per cent read rate.

No single configuration of equipment or business model came to the forefront as being the best way for all markets. Though the results weren’t exactly what they were hoping for,

Abel and Wright agree the research was worthwhile because it identified what worked, what didn’t and identified what needed to be improved before movement reporting of livestock can be implemented.

“We now realize that the costs will be much higher than anticipated,” says Abel. The research also confirmed that traceability offers no tangible benefits to the markets. As a result the LMAC members voted unanimously to request the government cover 100 per cent of their costs to install, maintain and operate tag-reading systems at auction markets.

On a more positive note, Abel says the LMAC was pleased that the government representatives at the meeting expressed a willingness to work with markets to find solutions to the issues raised by the markets.

One alternative, says Wright, might be a lower-cost, less intrusive alternative “Plan B” that LMAC has been developing. It involves reading RFID numbers only on animals departing markets for locations that don’t have equipment to scan them upon arrival. As it stands, the majority of animals that move through markets go to feedlots or packing plants that are already reading and reporting RFID numbers.

This year’s host market operator, Larry Witzel of the Ontario Livestock Exchange concluded, “We need to take small steps and keep moving forward.

A big step and a key point is that we were grateful to hear government say read rates won’t be regulated because the technology is not at the point it needs to be.

“Government recognized this is not an easy task. Timelines are set as goals, but sometimes they need to be changed.

This is something that will take time to do properly so it works right. If we don’t, and policy comes in around it, it will affect our industry for generations to come. That’s why it’s so important to be very conscientious as we move forward and not rush into it.”

C — Debbie Furber/Deborah Wilson www.canadiancattlemen.ca

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www.sekuralivestock.com www.triplejlivestock.com Ph: 780-542-4337 Toll Free: 877-349-3153 Fax: 780-542-3444 Ph: 780-349-3153 3351 – 50th Street South Fax: 780-349-5466 Drayton Valley, AB 9004 – 110A Street Westlock, AB “We’re Not just buildiNg a busiNess We’re buildiNg a reputatioN” Welcome to

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Visit www.dlms.ca The Quebec Feeder Calf Sales Circuit • Fresh calves straight from the producer • Checked for castration and clearly identified • 64 special feeder sales, all vaccinated calves Fédération des producteurs de bovins du Québec

Killarney Auction Mart Ltd, Where We Have Excellent Buyer Support and Customer Service is #1.

For all your marketing needs please give us a call or stop by!

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Auction Mart - 204-523-8477 Fax- 204-523-8190 Scott Campbell - 204-724-2131 Allen Munroe - 204-523-6161 For recent market reports and upcoming sales, please visit our website, www.killarneyauctionmart.com

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Scott Anderson 204-782-6222 Darren Tully 204-461-1434 Claude Deslaurier 204-447-0215/204-447-2446 Box 13, Group 220, RR#2, Winnipeg, MB. R3C 2E6 Ph. 204-694-8328 • Ship/Rec. 204-694-6784

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FOR FUTURE REFERENCE! CATTLEMEN / AUGUST 2011 33

RESEARCH

CLA and omega-3

C

onsumers have shown considerable interest in “healthy” fats and “bad” fats in recent years. The potential health attributes of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) and omega-3 fatty acids have led to considerable media focus, consumer confusion, marketing opportunities.

Stores have fish, yogurt, eggs and bagels with omega-3 labels. Where is the omega-3 labelled beef? This article summarizes some key research into feeding strategies to increase omega-3s and CLA in beef.

CLAs are natural trans fats that are primarily found in animal products. This is important, because Health Canada has recommended that the trans fat content of prepackaged foods and food service menu items not exceed five per cent of total fat content due to concerns that they may raise cholesterol levels and the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, fresh retail beef and other ruminant products are not included in this recommendation, primarily because transfats are naturally occurring in fresh beef and milk. CLA has been called “the healthy trans fat” because some lab animal studies have shown that CLA may help reduce the risk of cancer, obesity and heart disease, and it might improve immune function, but there is no official health claim for CLA in Canada.

Omega-3s are a family of at least nine different fatty acids. Omega-3s are found in a very wide range of plant and animal products. Three members of the omega-3 family (ALA, DHA and EPA) have received particular attention. ALA is an essential fatty acid, meaning that it must come from the diet because the body cannot manufacture it. DHA and EPA can either come from the diet, or be manufactured from ALA in the body. ALA is far and away the most abundant omega-3 in beef, and very little of the ALA that a person consumes will be converted to either DHA or EPA. The levels of DHA and EPA are much higher in fish. Products containing omega-3s can have a nutrient content claim, provided the product contains at least 300 mg of omega-3 per serving (75 g of beef in Canada). DHA also has a “biological role” claim in Canada due to its role in brain, eye and nerve development. EPA is believed to improve heart health.

Feeding strategies to increase CLA and omega-3s The fat from forage-finished beef contains considerably more CLA and omega-3 than grain-finished beef does. But the majority of Canadian consumers trim the external fat from a steak before eating it. This is probably particularly true for consumers likely to seek out CLA or omega-3 products. If the external fat is

34 CATTLEMEN / AUGUST 2011

trimmed, we are left with the marbling fat. Grass-fed beef usually has less marbling fat than grain-finished beef. When CLA and omega-3 levels are calculated on a per-steak basis, the difference between forageand grain-finished beef virtually vanishes for CLA, although omega-3 levels are still considerably higher in grass-fed than in grain-fed steaks. But remember that a nutrient content claim for omega-3 requires that the beef must contain at least 300 mg of omega-3 per 75 g serving. The total omega-3 content of Canadian beef would have to increase by five to eight times to reach the levels required for a nutrient content claim.

Under the Beef Science Cluster, the National Checkoff funds are supporting a study led by Dr. Ira Mandell at the University of Guelph to identify breed and forage combinations that may increase CLA and omega-3 levels in beef.

A second approach has been to feed sunflowers (for CLA) or flaxseed (for omega-3) to increase the dietary supply of the raw materials needed to manufacture these fatty acids in the rumen. A third approach is based on the theory that rumen pH influences fatty acid levels in beef. Due to its lower starch content, DDGS can act as a rumen pH buffer when used to replace grain in the finishing diet. Dr. Mike Dugan and co-workers at the Lacombe Research Station received National Checkoff funds to examine whether adding a pH buffer (1.5 per cent sodium sequicarbonate or distillers grains) to a barley-based diet would affect CLA or omega-3 levels. Although there has been some progress, neither oilseeds nor buffers have successfully increased omega-3 levels enough to reach a nutrient content claim.

A fourth approach has been to feed fishmeal to cattle. This has been more successful in increasing DHA and EPA omega-3 levels in beef. However, feeding even low amounts of fishmeal to cattle can adversely affect the flavour, colour and shelf life of beef. Much of the flavour of meat comes from the fat. A change in the fatty acid composition that negatively affects the eating quality of beef is unlikely to benefit either beef producers or consumers.

Although it has proven difficult to increase omega-3 levels in beef enough to achieve a nutrient content claim, this research has vastly increased our knowledge of the fatty acid composition of beef. This is very important to ensure that the industry has the information that is needed by consumers, food retailers, and regulators.

— Reynold Bergen Reynold Bergen is the science director for the Beef Cattle Research Council. A portion of the National Checkoff is directed to the BCRC to fund research and development activities to improve the competitiveness and sustainability of Canada’s beef industry.

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r e p o r t s

O

Travis Toews is president of the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association

ver the summer there has been no shortage of issues for the Canadian cattle industry. On the market access front, Canada reached a science-based technical agreement with South Korea towards restoring access for Canadian beef, the first sign of meaningful progress on this file in eight years.

Advocacy efforts for a resolution to country-oforigin labelling in the U.S. continued, and as usual, a number of regulatory issues required attention.

We also saw areas of southeastern Saskatchewan and Manitoba impacted by severe flooding, particularly around Lake Manitoba, in what has been described as a one-in-300-year flooding event. The Canadian Cattlemen’s Association (CCA) helps to address these and other important issues through influencing regulation and policy on behalf of cattle producers.

In July, the CCA attended the annual summer meeting of federal, provincial and territorial (FPT) ministers of agriculture in Saint Andrews, New Brunswick. During a roundtable discussion, the CCA made clear the three priorities for agriculture in Canada need to be creating value for producers, improving the competitiveness of our regulatory environment and becoming a world leader in market access.

We spoke about the need to improve on research at both levels of government and took the opportunity to discuss several important issues with all the ag ministers and deputy ministers present. These included the flooding in Manitoba and the responses there both short-term and longterm, the opportunity presented by the CanadaEU trade talks, and the potential next steps once the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) ruling on mandatory country-of-origin labelling (COOL) is made public.

While every market access gain is welcome for Canada’s beef cattle industry, South Korea in particular is a lucrative market for Canadian beef and demand there helps to maximize the value of each animal. Canada has agreed to suspend the WTO case now that Korea has begun its rule-making process. However, Korea has several procedural steps to complete in the technical agreement before Canadian exports of under-30-month beef can flow. We will be following Korea’s progress closely and will advise our Government to ask that the case be reinstated if it appears Korea is not proceeding in good faith.

The breakthrough agreement represents a return of Canadian beef to all key Asian markets, as South Korea is the last market to maintain a trade ban imposed nearly a decade ago. The agreement, reached outside of the WTO Dispute Settlement Panel proceedings, is estimated to be worth $30 million by 2015 to the Canadian beef industry.

With South Korea working to resolve market

36 Cattlemen / August 2011

by Travis Toews

access issues, finalizing the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement (FTA) has become a high priority for the CCA. Moving towards a beneficial FTA that will help both sides in this issue is the intent.

A Canada-Korea FTA would help Korea, which imports more than 70 per cent of its food, feed its population of 48 million and provide Canada with another consumer for its agricultural products including beef. The Canada-South Korea FTA is worth $750 million overall to Canadian agricultural producers.

Canada and South Korea launched negotiations towards an FTA in 2005. Talks ceased in March 2008 due to challenges in a number of areas including agriculture. In the interim, South Korea signed FTAs with several countries, including the European Union and the United States, both direct competitors with Canada.

Korea maintains a 40 per cent tariff on beef products. Under the Korea-U.S. FTA, Korea will phase out beef tariffs for U.S. exporters over 15 years. A Canada-Korea FTA and the elimination of BSE restrictions could drive $190 million in Canadian beef exports and give Canada an advantage over competitors like Mexico, New Zealand and Australia which are also negotiating FTA’s with Korea.

The CCA commends Federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz for his tireless efforts on this file.

Minister Ritz twice travelled to South Korea to underscore Canada’s controlled risk BSE status by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the control systems Canada has in place. The CCA travelled with Minister Ritz in a support role on a mission to Asia in 2009.

The CCA will continue to urge the Government of Canada to act quickly to resume FTA negotiations with South Korea. We will also continue to work on the many pressing files impacting our industry to assure reasonable outcomes on behalf of Canada’s beef cattle producers.

The CCA has been active in Washington discussing a resolution to the COOL issue that is before the WTO. A preliminary confidential report has been issued by the WTO to the governments of the U.S., Mexico and Canada, with the final report due at the end of July. We will be very engaged on this issue in the coming months.

Also this summer, the Beef InfoXchange System (BIXS) began a phased launch to cow-calf producers. This first of three planned launch stages will see a limited number of beef producers register, log-on and submit their individual animal data to BIXS. This strategic approach enables system functionality to be tested in real-time and identify and remedy any technical issues prior to a fullscale roll-out of the system to cow-calf producers across Canada this fall. The BIXS program has the potential to provide incredible value to the long-term competitiveness of the Canadian cattle industry. www.canadiancattlemen.ca

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P r i m e

c u t s

by Steve Kay

The ethanol boondoggle A North American view of the meat industry.

Steve Kay is publisher and editor of Cattle Buyers Weekly

T

he U.S. ethanol industry has reached that ethanol’s corn use had little to do with risanother dubious milestone, with USDA ing food prices. Washington has finally wised forecasting that for the first time, more up to the first claim and bipartisan legislation of the U.S. corn crop will go to ethanol looks like it will be eliminating the blenders’ production than to livestock feed. A startling 40 credit (possibly on July 31). The corn use-food per cent of this year’s crop will go to ethanol, price link is also gaining more attention nationcompared to just six per cent 11 years ago. ally and globally. More and more groups say Even more incredulous is the way in which that people around the world are going hungry the ethanol industry has grown. Long supported because of misguided ethanol policies. But there by farm state members of Congress, the indusare still some, including one prominent U.S. try has received more than $30 billion in federal agricultural research company, that claim that aid. Still in existence but possibly soon to disapethanol has little to do with rising food prices. pear are a $0.45-per-gallon blenders’ subsidy Debates over such claims, however, miss the and a $0.54-per-gallon tax on imports. fact that higher corn prices are one of the main As indefensible as this support is, that’s been reasons why U.S. livestock producers have not nothing compared to the two energy bills passed expanded their herds the past two years. It is the under the Bush administration that mandated main reason why poultry processors lost hunthat at least 10 per cent of all gasoline include dreds of millions of dollars two years ago and biofuels. As ethanol is why most are struggling the only commercially again to make money. produced such fuel, this The chicken guys are A startling 40 per cent gave ethanol a guaraneven more dependent teed market, as well as on corn than pork proof this year’s U.S. corn getting about $6 billion ducers. Companies like annually of free federal Tyson Foods regularly crop will go to ethanol, handouts at the same state how higher corn compared to just six time. Ethanol used only prices have added $500 20 per cent of the corn million or more to their per cent 11 years ago crop until the federal annual feed bills. mandates took effect.

Other factors have U.S. livestock produccaused cattle producers ers can only dream about getting this kind of to keep reducing their herds, notably severe to support. Yet the opposite effect has occurred. extreme drought this year from Texas to FlorEthanol’s corn use has more than trebled the ida. But high corn prices are impacting cattle price of corn in the past six years. Cash corn feeders’ ability to make money, as feeder cattle prices in mid-July were 80 per cent to 90 per prices have remained extremely high because of cent higher than at the same time last year. shrinking overall supplies.

Futures prices were edging towards $7 per The shrinking cattle herd, static hog numbers bushel and there’s little likelihood they will and more meat exports all mean less beef and decline. The converse might be true if China pork on the domestic market on a per capita keeps buying such huge quantities of U.S. corn. basis. Retail meat and poultry prices are curAnd what if there are problems with the crop rently up 8.5 per cent on this time last year later this summer and into the fall? What if and ethanol policies have been at least partly USDA over estimated the amount of planted responsible. acres and didn’t sufficiently take into account the acres that were flooded or affected by Cattle Buyers Weekly covers the North American meat extreme drought? and livestock industry. For subscription information, Ethanol supporters until this year did a brilcontact Steve Kay at P.O. Box 2533, Petaluma, liant job in convincing politicians that their CA 94953, or at 707-765-1725, or go to www. industry needed to keep being supported and cattlebuyersweekly.com.

38 Cattlemen / august 2011

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

BUILDING TRUST IN CANADIAN BEEF

Build a home team advantage Purebred breeder Mar Mac Farms says VBP helps the family-run beef operation play at the top of its game

Producing safe, high-quality beef.

Building strong long-term relationships with customers.

For Blair and Lois McRae and family of Mar Mac Farms, near Brandon, Man., it doesn’t get much simpler than that. These two objectives of their beef operation go hand in hand and it’s why the Verified Beef Production (VBP) program has become an integral part of their purebred beef business.

“A couple of the things I like best about the verified approach is that it helps us keep organized with what we’re doing and it’s producer driven,” says Blair McRae. “As a purebred operation, we were already following many of the standard practices. But the VBP program helped us improve our approach to record-keeping and bring an added layer of focus and transparency to what we’re doing. Those advantages are very impor-

All in the family. Blair, Lois, Brett and Melissa McRae.

tant today not just for our operation but for our industry.”

Team focus Teamwork is the linchpin of any purebred breeder and definitely with Mar Mac Farms. The fourth-generation operation runs 190 breeding females among three groups of cattle — Red Angus, Black Angus and Simmental. Blair and Lois run it along with their son Brett and daughter Melissa.

“Like most producers, we take pride in doing things the right way,” he says.

“With the VBP program, it’s not about doing things drastically different. But it’s a good check on what you’re doing that can help you identify ways to get better. As a family and as a team, we can point to the program as part of the structure of how we do things. That supports everyone following the same approaches and working well together.”

for us,” says Blair. “Whether it’s me, my wife or my kids, each of us knows where to find it and where to put the information. Nothing gets missed. Our records are better organized and more consistent, and that has been a great benefit.”

Easy to participate VBP is a voluntary program and producers can choose to simply implement Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). If they wish, they can also move to the VBP registration stage, which is based on an initial validation audit.

Mar Mac Farms is now in its fourth year as a registered participant in VBP. Blair says the course was straightforward and the assessment process worked well.

“As far as the records review or self-declarations, we’ve now had three of them completed. The process was simple.”

Record-keeping made easy

Industry driven shows commitment

Sometimes it’s the simple adjustments that produce the strongest benefits. The McRaes found that a key advantage of the VBP program was the standardized approach to record-keeping. Before, some records were kept on a calendar and a couple of different log books. Now Mar Mac has one record book, in one place, that everyone uses.

“The record-keeping adjustment was something we didn’t think about too much before, but it turned out to be a big thing

Perhaps the greatest asset of the program and the main reason the McRaes got involved is that it is a purely industrydriven approach. “In my opinion, that’s the right way to go,” says Blair. “We know there is more demand to show standardized, verified approaches and as an industry it makes sense for us to lead on this.”

At the end of the day, for the beef industry a program like VBP is simply part of continuing to strengthen the relationship with the end customer, he says.

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STRAIGHT FROM THE HIP

A big deal

F

resh off the press this summer is the news that Canada and the European Union have signed an equivalency trade agreement which allows for the free flow of organic product between the parties. This was accomplished two years after the incorporation of a “Stream of Commerce Policy” implemented by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, which gave producers time to comply. The agreement acknowledges the organic product regulations and inspection of both partners. This is the second such agreement Canada has signed as they have had the same arrangement with the United States since 2009.

The trade agreement comes after years of gruelling labelling and ingredient discussions. To be certified organic in Canada, a full 95 per cent of the item must be organic content. This eliminated partial claims as full organic. There most certainly were bumps along the road but the national associations negotiated and the payoff was Canadian access to two of the largest consumer populations in the world.

Those who believe that organic sales are a fad or flash in the pan need to review the statistics. The value of organic production in Canada is valued at the same level of beef production, and the growth rate is staggering. The global organic trade is now approximately $55 billion per year and growing. To put that in perspective, organic sales outstrip pasta or rice sales globally. Retail sales in Canada have a growth rate of 189 per cent per year with more interest every day from large box stores to small speciality shops. Canadian organic production is valued at $2.6 billion with $390 million of product exported primarily to the United States and the European Union.

The areas of extreme growth in organic sales are meat, dog food, fabric, clothing, dairy and condiments. Today, the province with the highest level of organic beef production is Alberta and that represents just over 10,000 head of cattle annually. But consumers are hungry for more. The meat shelf floor is in ruins as buyers of beef pace looking for some recognizable assurance of quality. For mainstream buyers, many associate quality beef with Costco as the predictability at the beef case is legendary and buyers simply eat it up. For those consumers who have a different buying philosophy, the switch to organic product is — well — natural, and price is not a deterrent.

It is this population that the beef cattle industry must take a moment to listen to.

Consumer studies have proven repeatedly that buyers are suffering from label confusion at the meat case.

When this happens, those that can afford organic buy it and it is statistically proven that those who cannot will choose hormone free. Retailers are watch-

40 CATTLEMEN / AUGUST 2011

ing and listening and the first big move on the retail front came from Australia when Coles, a major retail chain, decided last September to refuse the delivery of beef implanted with growth hormones. A scientific response from Meat and Livestock Australia did not deter Coles and the new policy stayed.

Of interest here is Australia’s cattle feeder response to the change that was driven by consumer perception. By May, the Australians had signed a 20,000T deal with the EU to ship hormone free beef and have full expectations to increase delivery to 350,000T for a value of 56 billion euros. Rather than fight for the status quo, Australian cattle feeders complied in producing non-growth promotant beef. They realized what retailers already know — the consumer is who determines what works for them.

There is always the argument of cost and the research and economic analysis into feeding cattle for organic or non-implanted beef on a commercial scale is severely lacking and we have yet to develop feeding programs for the significant production of non-growth promotant or organic beef. Realistically, cost and regulations are not limitations to opportunity and the creation of value. Consumer buying is driven by core values and beliefs. An industry simply will never win when the opponent is sticking to their core values and beliefs. Recognizing that there is more than one way to produce and present beef is vital for the Canadian industry to move ahead.

The summer news of the free trade on organic product is a big deal. It signals to the Canadian beef industry that there is a level of sophistication that has yet to be reached. Those who were able to see into the future and specialize in specified production, such as Canadian Premium Meats, are in the lead for accommodating organic beef processing. As mainstream packers and processors now have the capacity to process the entire national beef herd, it is a critical time for all production considerations. Canadian cattlemen could continue to ship into the U.S. and suffer the degradation of the basis or they could sell domestically so that Canada manufactures product of higher value. Buyers and processors of beef now stand at the threshold of embracing change, adding value as the consumer sees it and eliminating the basis from the bid or listening to the echo of empty hooks. It is time for producers, cattle feeders and researchers to investigate alternate production systems and for packers to pay up. Only then will the beef industry have the opportunity to collectively strike a big deal.

— Brenda Schoepp Brenda Schoepp is a market analyst and the owner and author of BEEFLINK, a national beef cattle market newsletter. A professional speaker and industry market and research consultant, she ranches near Rimbey, Alta. Contact her at brenda.schoepp@cciwireless.ca.

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

NEWS ROUNDUP COWBOY POLITICS IN BRITISH COLUMBIA Land-use and environment issues once again dominated the debate at the British Columbia Cattlemen’s Association (BCCA) annual meeting in Prince George this summer.

The devastation from the mountain pine beetle infestation that now affects some 43 million acres of B.C. forests has raised the ever-present danger of wildfires and resulted in increased logging in areas that aren’t typically suited to harvesting as logging companies try to salvage lumber from these sites.

While there has always been communication between ranchers and loggers in the past, the companies are now using contractors to trench and mound logged areas in preparation for replanting without involving local ranchers.

It’s extremely difficult to gather and move cattle through these areas, and quite impossible to do so without damaging newly planted trees.

During their meeting the cattlemen decided to press the province to require consultation in these cases to avoid creating an unsafe work environment and to consider letting natural succession take its course on land not particularly suited to forestry operations. The BCCA will also ask the government to prohibit tree planting on grasslands and wetland meadows.

The BCCA will lobby for the government to implement measures to prevent and respond to wildfires in a timely manner, including the establishment of clear lines of communication so ranchers are made aware of firefighting activities in order to know when and where to move their cattle.

The cattlemen would also like to see landowners and tenure holders compensated for wildfire losses not covered by federal policy or affordable insurance such as the loss of range improvements, cattle and cattle health.

Another issue is the revision of the century-old Water Act. The BCCA wants to ensure that the new act

grandfathers stock-watering provisions and creates a water reserve for agriculture, so when an agriculture producer gives up a water licence, the allotment is retained for agriculture use.

Other resolutions call for cattle prices insurance and pasture forage insurance similar to programs available in other provinces; maintaining public service meat inspectors at provincial plants; surveillance, education and stiffer penalties for reckless ATV riders that damage range; funding for stack yard fences; an exemption from the provincial carbon tax on fuel for farm use; and expanding the hunting and trapping seasons in regions where wolves prey heavily on livestock.

The BCCA also decided to ask the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association to open negotiations with all provincial beef associations to increase the $1 nonrefundable national checkoff on cattle.

BCCA president Judy Guichon says the B.C. ranching task force has proven Continued on page 42

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News Roundup Continued from page 41

to be far more successful than anticipated when it was first announced two years ago.

Representatives from the BCCA and departments of Agriculture, Environment, and Forestry, Lands and Natural Resources (FLNR) meet four times a year to identify and remove unnecessary red tape from regulations that hinder the industry and keep the concerns of producers in front of the bureaucrats as they go about updating much of B.C.’s existing legislation.

In Saskatchewan At their June annual meeting the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association voted to support the formation of a provincial livestock patrons assurance fund patterned after the Alberta fund and a BVD awareness strategy.

breeding Across-breed EPD adjustment factors released USDA researchers at Clay Center and Lincoln Nebraska recently released their across-breed adjustment factors for 18 breeds. These factors are used to give equivalent expected progeny differences (EPD) for different breeds to a base Angus EPD for birth weight, weaning weight, yearling weight, maternal milk, marbling score, rib-eye area, and fat thickness.

The scientists point out it is critical that the adjustment be applied only

The last year has been one of transition for the SSGA which is planning to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2013.

As general manager Chad MacPherson explains 2010 was a challenging year due to the loss of $100,000 in core operating funding from the provincial checkoff after the administration of the checkoff was transferred from the province to the new Saskatchewan Cattlemen’s Association in August of 2010.

The SSGA like other groups now applies for funding on specific projects to continue its work on the conservation of native prairie and species at risk as well as youth consumer education at Agribition and other exhibitions.

A number of resolutions dealt with landowner surface rights, traceability and SSGA funding from the cattlemarketing deductions fund. A change in the constitution reduced the number of active members needed to activate a zone from 25 to 12, and the quorum for the board meetings from 12 to nine. to spring 2011 EPDs. Older or newer EPD may be computed on different bases and, therefore, could produce misleading results.

Adjustment factors can be applied to compare the genetic potential of sires from different breeds. Suppose the EPD for weaning weight for a Limousin bull is +42.1 and for a Hereford bull is +44.0. The across-breed adjustment factors in the table are -1.5 for Hereford and 0.9 for Limousin. Then the adjusted EPD for the Limousin bull is 42.1 + (0.9) = 43.0 and for the Hereford bull is 44.0 + (-1.5) = 42.5. The expected weaning weight difference when both are mated to another breed of cow, e.g., Angus, would be 43.0 – 42.5 = 0.5 lb.

Adjustment factors for across-breed EPDs Breed Angus Hereford Red Angus Shorthorn South Devon Beefmaster Brahman Brangus Santa Gertrudis Braunvieh Charolais Chiangus Gelbvieh Limousin Maine-Anjou Salers Simmental Tarentaise

Birth weight 0.0 2.8 2.3 5.9 4.2 6.8 11.4 4.1 7.8 5.7 8.5 3.6 3.8 3.6 4.3 2.0 4.8 1.8

Weaning weight 0.0 -1.5 -1.5 17.9 3.8 36.4 40.4 14.9 34.2 18.5 40.1 -14.5 3.9 0.9 -9.8 -0.3 25.9 34.8

Yearling weight 0.0 -17.1 -8.7 41.7 -4.9 37.9 4.5 14.0 24.8 22.6 48.9 -33.9 -10.4 -31.3 -28.5 -10.5 24.5 22.5

Maternal milk 0.0 -18.7 -1.5 19.6 -5.8 2.6 21.4 1.3

Marbling score 0.00 -0.32 0.00 -0.10 0.08

Rib-eye area 0.00 -0.07 -0.12 0.24 0.13

Fat thickness 0.000 -0.051 -0.038 -0.151 -0.113

30.0 4.6

-0.64 -0.25 -0.40 -0.38

-0.18 0.92 0.87 0.59

-0.146 -0.171 -0.222 -0.172

10.2 -13.4 -3.7 0.5 15.3 22.97

-0.69 -0.77 -0.13 -0.51

1.06 0.96 0.81 0.95

-0.209 -0.217 -0.218

42 Cattlemen / August 2011

Adjustment factors for across breed EPDs

Newly elected president Harold Martens of Swift Current says the board’s strength is in its diverse representation from across the province with representation from the feeding and marketing sectors as well as cowcalf producers and a strong show of support from young producers and purebred breeders.

“We have positioned ourselves to set policy for the Saskatchewan cattle industry and will make representation to all of the federal and provincial agencies that our members ask us to go to,” he says. The board’s priorities for the upcoming year include working with others to set up a patrons assurance fund and cattle price insurance program, dealing with the provincial government on conservation easements on Crown land, making their views known on the new Growing Forward plan, and helping educate fellow producers about BVD and IBR and the value of vaccination programs.

drugs Merck renames animal health division Merck’s animal health division, formerly known as Intervet/Schering-Plough Animal Health has been renamed as Merck Animal Health in the U.S. and Canada, and MSD Animal Health in the rest of the world.

The division generated global sales of $2.9 billion in 2010.

The name change follows the joint announcement in March by Merck and sanofi-aventis that ended plans to form a new animal health joint venture due to the complexity of implementing the proposed transaction.

programs Ontario risk management meetings scheduled Details of Ontario’s Risk Management Program (RMP) will be rolled out in meetings across the province during August and September.

Agricorp, the provincial ag program delivery agency, is expected to have applications available by early September with an enrolment deadline of October 14, although that is unlikely to be a hard-and-fast date.

The RMP is meant as a companion to the joint federal/provincial producwww.canadiancattlemen.ca

tion insurance and AgriStability programs. The province will fund RMP at the full amount of its usual 40 per cent share.

Specifically, it treats RMP payments as an advance on the province’s 40 per cent share of a producer’s AgriStability payment, in which an eligible producer would keep the greater of the two payments. The 60 per cent federal share of the AgriStability payment is unaffected.

Dubbing 2011 as the RMP’s “transition year,” the province waived farmer premiums for the 2011 program.

To take part, producers will need to enrol their production in RMP, sign up for AgriStability (voluntary for 2011 only, because the deadline has passed) and have a Premises ID number.

The Cattle RMP will require producers to enrol all their eligible production in one of three categories: cow-calf, backgrounder or feedlot.

Producers in 2012 and beyond can opt to make either one upfront premium payment, payments twice per year (for cow-calf producers) or quarterly (for backgrounders and feedlot).

Cattle RMP premiums will also be calculated by comparing support levels and market prices using historic, current and future data. The minimum premium charged will be $25 under each of the cattle program categories.

The RMP support level for cattle and other livestock will be based on cost of production multiplied by a farmer’s chosen coverage level — 100, 90 or 80 per cent.

In the cow-calf category, payments will be calculated twice a year (end of June and end of December), while in the backgrounder and feedlot categories, payments will be calculated weekly and paid quarterly.

Producers may also transfer cattle to the next program category without

a sale. A producer who finishes cattle from birth will be able to submit a certified weigh slip to Agricorp to trigger a payment instead of waiting until the animal’s final sale.

For the 2011 program year, payments to cattle producers will be calculated by pro-rating support levels and market prices against the available allocation, the province said. Producers will need to apply in the fall and report actual pounds produced and sold by category from Jan. 1 to Sept. 30, 2011 and projected pounds produced and sold or transferred by category from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2011.

An initial payment will be made in December and a final payment will follow using actual sales or transfer information for Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, 2011.

Payments will be then adjusted based on final participation rates.

In July Ontario’s Ag Minister Carol Mitchell cited the lack of support from Ottawa for this program and a proposed dialing back on funding for AgriStability as the reasons why she refused to sign off on the new Growing Forward ag policy framework at the last federal/provincial ministers’ meeting.

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◆ Our June photo was taken about

1983 and was of me tattooing a Polled Hereford calf. I had several guesses but no one was correct. Due to the length of this column and space limitations this time around I will not include an “Oldtimers” picture this issue.

◆ I had many replies to our May photograph but received this one shortly after we went to press.

“Re: The Oldtimers are Back” photograph (May issue) (l-r): Wilf Sieger, Harold Thornton and Lloyd Quantz.

Lloyd was the general manager of the Canadian Charolais Association, taken March 1978 and the photograph number is 78-105-20 (photograph taken

by Walt Browarny). Always enjoy the magazine. Keep up the good work.”

Regards, Marie Browarny, Browarny Photographics Ltd. It was no surprise that this turned out to be a Browarny photo, as for many years Walt followed most every event in the industry and is no stranger to those of us who have been around for many years. So thanks Marie for bringing this to our attention. ◆ The fourth annual T Bar Invitational golf tournament was once again a success, raising over $40,000 for the seven national junior breed associations representing 2,018 members. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Canadian Western Agribition

44 Cattlemen / August 2011

Junior Beef Extreme. “In the last four years, we have raised nearly $150,000, which provides funding and opportunities to a great number of youth,” said Bryan Kostiuk, co-chairman of the tournament. The 2012 T Bar Invitational will be held at Dakota Dunes on June 19 and 20. See www.tbarinvitational.com for details.

◆ For those of you who are not yet

aware, Jill Harvie, assistant policy analyst at the Canadian Cattlemen’s Association and past program co-ordinator of the Cattlemen’s Young Leaders Development Program, had her baby in May and it’s a GIRL, Tinley Mary Harvie! Jill is married to Cole Harvie of Harvie Ranching, Olds, Alta.

Tinley is a beautiful little redhead and was welcomed with a baby shower on June 26 at the home of Marlene and Ian Harvie. We had a wonderful time, thanks for the great day, and special thanks to Jill for letting us pass her little one around.

◆ I was sorry to hear that Samantha Sperber, one of the Cattlemen’s Young Leaders grads from 2010, was burned in a work-related accident. She assures me she is doing well, looks great, and even though she has been off work for several weeks, she is healing nicely and hopes to get back to work soon. I am sure Samantha will be itching to attend Summer Synergy again this summer, and show the cattle she has prepared.

It will take more than a little accident to slow down one of our CYL grads. ◆ Rhonda Mader, of Mader Ranches,

was a lucky woman, or so she thinks.

I saw her recently at Ian and Marlene Harvie’s home. Well she is lucky, to be alive and not paralyzed, after being in a car accident that left her with a broken neck and in a halo! All the best to you Rhonda as you heal. I admire your attitude and spirit.

◆ Bob and Heather James have sold

their interest in Transcon Livestock Corp. to Jay Good. Jay has been involved with Transcon for many years so the transition will be smooth. In conjunction with this purchase, Jay announced the opening of a new Transcon office in Sundre, Alta. “This move allows me to become more hands on with the day-to-day operations of

the company as the Sundre location allows daily access for me,” says Jay.

◆ The Canadian Simmental Associa-

tion had an exciting day June 27 at the 4S Simmental Ranch, Drayton Valley, Alta., when Rob Merrifield, MP for Yellowhead, on behalf of Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz, announced an investment of $1.7 million to the Canadian Simmental Association (CSA).

“This investment will enhance the quality, value and ultimately the overall competitiveness of Canada’s beef and cattle industry,” he said. The three-year project will help demonstrate to cattle breeders the use of DNA and other genetic data to identify, select and breed cattle with higher fertility and mothering ability, growth and feed efficiency, and produce more desirable beef products. The results will be shared with various beef sector groups including the Canadian Beef Breeds Council. “As a result of the government’s financial support, the CSA and our project partners are able to continue to work together to ensure Canada’s seedstock sector is at the forefront of genetic research and global competitiveness,” said CSA president Rick McIntyre.

This money comes from Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP), a five-year (2009-14), $163-million program designed to help the agriculture industry to seize market opportunities and test solutions to new and ongoing issues.

◆ Wade Beck of Milestone, Sask.,

was elected president of the Canadian Charolais Association at its 51st annual meeting June 14 in Charlottetown, P.E.I. This was the first CCA annual meeting in the breed’s 52-year history held in the Maritimes. Lyle Bignell, Stettler, Alta., moves to past president, while Brent Saunders, Markdale, Ont., was voted first vice-president. Campbell Forsyth, Eriksdale, Man., remains second vice-president. The association reported a surplus over expenses of $120,000 on the year. General manager Neil Gillies noted, “If we continue to manage things the way they are we should be able to keep our rates where they are.” The members voted with a two-thirds majority to give the board of directors the power to alter fees in future, eliminating the need to go to the annual meeting for fee changes. www.canadiancattlemen.ca

The meetings were followed by a Maritime tour from June 15 to 19, organized by Helge and Candace By.

◆ Dallas Wise joined the Canadian

Limousin Association as registry/ member services clerk in July replacing Teresa Blouin who left the CLA to pursue other interests. Dallas’s family ranches near Irricana, Alta., and she will remain a partner in their MaineAnjou operation. She will be working three days a week for the first three months.

◆ The $15,000 profit made last year

when the Saskatchewan Charolais Association hosted the annual meeting and homecoming for the Canadian Charolais Association in Moose Jaw was put into the Canadian Charolais Association Scholarship Fund to create an annual $1,000 Dale Norheim Scholarship for a deserving young person.

Dale was a longtime Saskatchewan Charolais breeder and promoter who died in an accident last year. This act inspired the board of directors of the CCA to invest $50,000 of the surplus from this year’s operations to sustain

the fund which annually awards two or three $1,000 scholarships. This fund is designated as a charity and provides tax receipts for donations. Contact the Canadian Charolais Association at cca@charolais.com for details.

tle. Brian Good, commercial fieldman for the Canadian Angus Association, presented the award at the Livestock Markets Association of Canada annual convention on June 10.

◆ A farewell get-

held its annual meeting June 11, 2011 in Lacombe. The new board of directors is: Kirk Seaborn (president), Graham Sharp (vice-president), Hen Hehr (second vice-president), Dennis Shantz (past president), Betty Beeby (executive director), Leigh Boles (treasurer), Gene Foat, Ron Yarham, Wendy Bishop, Bill Darlington, and CSA representative Dan Stephenson. Susan and Albert Oram act as secretary/fieldman for the group.

The Breeder of Merit award for 2011 went to Kirk Seaborn of Crooked Post Shorthorns while the Commercial Breeder for 2011 is Lund Farms Inc. of Alhambra, Alta.

together for Doug Fee, former CEO of the Canadian Angus Association, was held June 24.

Doug’s presence will be missed, but he assures me he has other projects in Doug Fee the works, that will keep him occupied.

An informal evening farewell was held at the home of Mabel and Gavin Hamilton on June 26. Best Wishes to you Doug as you embark on the next stage of your life.

◆ Assiniboia Livestock Auction has

been chosen as the Canadian Angus Association’s 2010 Auction Market of the Year in recognition of their work promoting Angus and Angus-cross cat-

◆ The Alberta Shorthorn Association

◆ The National Limousin Show 2011 will be held at the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto and will feature an upgraded show ring along with enhanced lightContinued on page 46

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Cattlemen / August 2011 45

Continued from page 45

ing and sound system. All Limousin events are held on Saturday, Nov. 5.

The Canadian Limousin Association is also pleased to announce that Masterfeeds is a partial sponsor for this show. The National Sale will be held in conjunction with the All-Breed Sale later that day. The Show Cattle of the Year awards will remain the same as previous years.

◆ High Ridge Feeders and Shannondale Farm of Manitoba received the Canadian Angus Association’s first Feedlot of the Year award in recognition of their work feeding and promoting Angus and Angus-cross cattle.

CEO Doug Fee presented the award to Ed and Glori Dalke of High Ridge Feeders and Harry and Brenda Dalke of Shannondale Farm at the Canadian Angus Association’s annual meeting banquet on Saturday, June 11. The Dalke families had no idea that they would be receiving an award and made touching acceptance speeches about how surprised they were by the honour. The Canadian Angus Association introduced the Feedlot of the Year award this year to recognize feedlots that promote Angus to their customers and feed Canadian Angus Rancher-Endorsed cattle. ◆ France Limousin Selection (France

Limousin Association) in co-operation with Interco, the government agency in charge of promoting agricultural products from the Aquitaine region, organized a promotional Limousin tour May 25-28. The Canadian representatives invited to the tour were Mary Hertz, Rob Swaan, Stan Skeels and Anne Brunet-Burgess, the general manager of the Canadian Limousin Association, who joined participants from Spain, Morocco, Bulgaria, Slovenia and Colombia. They took in farm visits in Aquitaine and Limousin regions, a conference and a show in Bordeaux.

◆ Olds Agricultural Society and the

Olds Fall Classic Beef Committee would like to extend a special invitation to all seedstock producers to participate in the 2011 Olds Fall Classic held Sept. 30-Oct. 2 in Olds. Ten breed shows including: Black Angus, Charolais, Gelbvieh, Hereford, Limousin, Maine Anjou, Red Angus, Salers, Shorthorn and Simmental will showcase top-quality cattle from some of the industry’s leading seedstock breed-

46 Cattlemen / August 2011

ers. Each of the Champion Bull and Female winners, adjudicated by professional and reputable judges, are eligible for the RBC Beef Supreme Challenge at Agribition.

year. The other Junior Angus members competing for the award were Kevin Bolduc of Stavely, Alta., Megan Kemp of Pilot Mound, Man., and Laurie Noiseux of Saint-Pauld’Abbotsford, Que.

◆ Calgary’s Stampede Park has

◆ Semex, of Guelph, Ont., has launched its 2nd Annual Semex Beef Photo Contest. The photos could end up being used on Semex posters, brochures, catalogues, website and much more.

Preference will be given to photographs that include cows and will be judged on composition, quality and character of the image. All entries must be received

by Sept. 30, 2011. Visit the Semex Beef website today at www.semex.com/di/ beef to enter and to access full contest rules, terms and conditions.

received $25 million in provincial funding for a new agricultural event centre and renewal of existing ag facilities. The Agrium Western Event Centre will triple the capacity of the site when completed in 2014 with seating for over 2,400 spectators and additional meeting, event and exhibition space.

◆ Northlands Farmfair, Olds Fall

Classic and Lloydminster Stockade Round-Up are collaborating to introduce the Alberta Supreme Championship. It will include the breed winners from all three Alberta shows to declare provincial champions. Exhibitors of the male and female champions will drive away in a 2011 Dodge Ram truck. For more information visit www.farmfair.ca, www.oldsagsociety. com, and www.lloydexh.com.

◆ The 4th Annual Cow-Calf Road-

show is hitting the road again Sept. 7-8 in the Peterborough area. Tours are set for the farms of Roger Maloney, Edgar Cornish and Billy and Juanita Elmhirst along with the Kawartha ethanol plant in Havelock. Registration is limited to 100 producers with a deadline of Aug. 26, 2011. A full agenda and registration form can be downloaded from the Ontario Cattlemen’s Association website www.cattle.guelph.on.ca.

◆ Austen Anderson of Swan River, Man., is the winner of the 2011 Robert C. McHaffie Junior Ambassador Competition awarded by the Canadian Angus Foundation. The award was presented at the Canadian Angus Association annual general meeting in June. Austen who is the son of purebred Angus breeder Bruce Anderson started his own purebred Angus herd eight years ago. He is an education student at the University of Regina and is also an artist. One of his original paintings was donated to the auction held at the meeting banquet to raise funds for the Canadian Angus Foundation.

The Robert C. McHaffie Ambassador Award program selects one Canadian Junior Angus Association member to be an ambassador for Canadian Angus Association youth at major shows and events across Canada. The judges say it was a hotly contested competition this

◆ Work from Washington State Uni-

versity (WSU) tabulated some improved production attributes in the U.S. beef sector between 1977 and 2007. Thirteen per cent fewer animals were slaughtered in the U.S. in 2007 but produced 13 per cent more beef than in 1977, reducing the total carbon footprint for beef production by 18 per cent over the 30 years. When compared with beef production in 1977, each kilogram of beef produced in modern systems used: 10 per cent less feed energy, 20 per cent less feedstuffs, 30 per cent less land, 14 per cent less water and nine per cent less fossil fuel energy.

◆ The Beef InfoXchange System

(BIXS) has begun a phased launch process to cow-calf producers. The first of three launch stages will see a limited number of beef producers invited to register, log on and submit their individual animal data to BIXS. This strategic approach provides the opportunity to test system functionality in real time and identify and address any technical issues that may arise, prior to a large-scale rollout of the system this fall. Having specific individual animal data like vaccination date and product used, castration and dehorn date and, in time, historical carcass data on a herd basis displayed in near real time prior to and during sales at auction markets is one example of how BIXS could benefit program participants.

BIXS, a national voluntary program, will also validate animal birth dates against CCIA records. Work continues on a feedlot interface and the implementation of carcass tracking and computer vision grading solutions within slaughter plants. For more visit www.

C bixs.cattle.ca. www.canadiancattlemen.ca

The markets

Market Summary debbie mcmillin Fed Cattle The volatility in fed cattle pricing this summer was due largely to non-cattle factors. But in recent weeks smaller Canadian showlists, strong futures and firm demand here and in the U.S. pushed prices higher. By midJuly fed cattle hit a historically high $103.97 per cwt in Alberta, up more than $16 from the year before. The cash basis at mid-July was -2.94 per cwt, nearly 6.50 narrower than the same week last year. Typically the fed basis will weaken over the next several months as the supplies of market-ready cattle increase and demand drops down from the start of the summer.

The Alberta and Saskatchewan July 1 cattle-on-feed report estimated total cattle on feed up two per cent over 2010 at 803,936 head. Historically, that number is three and four per cent higher than July 2009 and 2008, respectively, and nine per cent below

2007 and 2008. Placements through June were the smallest since June 2003, at 66,348 head, down one per cent from last year. Placements in the first half of 2011 were down 15 per cent so it was no surprise when June marketings were down 17 per cent from a year ago.

Domestic steer slaughter to date is off 13 per cent at 715,397 head.

Heifer kill is also down by 10 per cent at 517,856. This shrinking slaughter combined with falling exports reflects the tightening supply situation. Exports of fed cattle at 215,260 head are down 38 per cent from a year ago.

Feeder Cattle Feeder cattle prices across the board have drawn some additional support from the jump in fed cattle prices.

Feeder volumes are seasonally low, however these tight supplies generated a small rally in recent weeks in step with fed cattle prices. After dipping down to $143.25 per cwt in early June 550pound feeder calves bounced back to $150 in the first week of July. The June average for 550 steers was $146.73, almost $26 higher than 2010.

Eight hundred and fifty feeder steers tracked right along with the fed steers as feedlots looked ahead to the start of the yearling run by averaging $120 and $117.50 per cwt in the first two weeks

Deb’s Outlook Fed Cattle After the recent summer rally, prices near term will likely struggle to hold their gains. Further out, as we typically see larger numbers, higher carcass weights and slower demand, our smaller inventories may stabilize prices enough to get us to the next seasonal rally. The basis should follow the normal trend and widen heading into late summer, but probably not to the extent seen in other years.

Feeder Cattle Feeder cattle will be limited in numbers over the next few weeks. Yearlings coming off grass will start to move by the end of August and seasonally will rally up to the peak, generally in the third quarter. Lighter-weight feeder volumes will pick up by September. This generally pressures prices as buyers have more to choose

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

of July after getting down to $115.50 in the second week of June, which was still $15 ahead of 2010.

The cash-to-cash feeder basis widened towards the end of June and start of July, however by mid-July it had narrowed to 10.04 per cwt, which is 4.95 tighter than last year. The trend in the next few weeks is for the basis to tighten as yearling demand increases.

Non-Fed Cattle Cow prices declined $10 per cwt from the $80.45 peak as increased freezer stocks of processing beef tempered demand, and larger volumes of cows in the southern U.S. were forced to town by drought. In mid-July Alberta D1,2 cows averaged $70.94, which is still $13.16 higher than the same week last year and $22.85 better than 2009. Butcher bulls backed off slightly by mid-July averaging near $83. To date 2011 bull slaughter is down six per cent at 11,892 head while cow slaughter is down 15 per cent at 246,081. Non-fed exports are down 22 per cent at 97,568 head through the first half of the year.

— Debbie McMillin

Debbie McMillin is a market analyst who ranches at Hanna, Alta.

More markets➤

from however smaller inventories once again should support feeder prices as the fall run gets underway.

Feeders will gain some added support from a strong fed price and the shrinking North American beef herd.

It’s already evident that feedlots will have to reach for calves this fall. We just don’t know by how much. We’ll have to see how profitable fed sales are over the next month as well as where grain prices get to as harvest begins and the final impact of the southern drought plays out on the U.S. corn crop.

Non-Fed Cattle Look for stable prices in the near term as smaller kills draw down freezer stocks of ground beef during burger season. However, our higher dollar will cut into export sales, particularly as more U.S. cows are driven off scorched southern pastures. This will only reinforce the seasonal trend of fall cow prices coming under pressure as calves are being weaned and culling decisions are made.

Cattlemen / august 2011 47

Break-even Prices on A-Grade Steers 115

ALBERTA

150

105 95 85 75

Market Prices

160

140 130

western Market Summary

120 110

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

135

100

Steer Calves (500-600 lb.)

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

85

ONTARIO

125

75

115

65

105

55

95

45

85 75 Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

2011

Canfax weighted average price on A-Grade steers

35

D1,2 Cows Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Ontario 2010 Market Ontario prices based on a 50/50 east/west mix Summary O ntario

2011

2010

A lberta

Break-even price

2011

for steers on date sold

2011-12

2010

Kevin Grier2010

Market Summary (to July 9)

July 2011 prices* Alber ta Yearling steers (850 lb.)............... $117.31/cwt Barley................................................. 4.57/bu.

Barley silage..................................... 57.13/ton Cost of gain (feed)........................... 61.30/cwt Cost of gain (all costs)..................... 84.85/cwt Fed steers...................................... 100.69/cwt Break-even (November 2011)......... 105.68/cwt Ontario Yearling steers (850 lb.)............... $119.44/cwt Corn silage....................................... 62.48/ton Grain corn........................................... 7.56/bu.

Cost of gain (feed)......................... 111.19/cwt Cost of gain (all costs)................... 136.17/cwt Fed steers...................................... 108.67/cwt Break-even (January 2012)............ 126.36/cwt *Mid-month to mid-month prices Breakevens East: end wt 1,450, 183 days West end wt 1,325 lb., 125 days

48 Cattlemen / august 2011

2011 Total Canadian federally inspected slaughter............. 1,490,530 Average steer carcass weight............................................ 836 lb.

Total U.S. slaughter.................................................... 18,088,000

2010 1,696,437 844 lb.

18,111,000

Trade Summary EXPORTS 2011 Fed cattle to U.S. (to July 2)........................................... 215,260 Feeder cattle and calves to U.S. (to July 2)..................... 51,269 Dressed beef to U.S. (to May)............................... 220.21 mil.lbs Total dressed beef (to May).................................. 297.00 mil.lbs

2010 349,296 137,492 294.88 mil.lbs 384.88 mil.lbs

IMPORTS 2011 Slaughter cattle from U.S. (to May) .......................................... 0 *Dressed beef from U.S. (to May)........................ 131.91 mil.lbs *Dressed beef from Australia (to May)....................... 7.29 mil.lbs *Dressed beef from New Zealand (to May)................ 26.87 mil.lbs *Dressed beef from Uruguay (to May)..................... 7.58 mil.lbs

2010 0 107.39 mil.lbs 8.88 mil.lbs 24.51 mil.lbs 24.05 mil.lbs

Canadian Grades (to July 16, 2011) % of A grades AAA AA A Prime Total

EAST WEST

+59% 20.7 29.7 2.7 0.2 53.3 Total graded 304,173 1,092,799

Yield –53% Total 10.0 53.1 2.2 42.0 0.0 2.8 0.5 1.1 12.7 Total A grade 99.0% Total ungraded % carcass basis 92,348 75.8% 65,881 61.4%

54-58% 22.4 10.1 0.1 0.4 33.0

Only federally inspected plants

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

market talk with Gerald Klassen

Canadian barley outlook

C

ash barley values in southern Alberta have softened over the past month as feedlot bids range from $195 to $198, which is down from the highs of $210 earlier in spring. I’ve had many inquiries from feedlot operators in regards to the price outlook for the 2011-12 crop year. At this time, there are still many uncertain factors influencing the upcoming price structure.

Acreage is still uncertain due to excessive moisture in southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba. Secondly, the domestic wheat crop was seeded two to three weeks behind normal which could result in larger feed wheat supplies if an early frost occurs. Finally, the U.S. corn crop size will influence prices of corn and DDGS which will determine the amount of imports into Western Canada. Despite these three risk factors, I’m going to discuss the barley outlook for the upcoming crop year.

Statistics Canada estimated the barley crop at 7.1 million acres on their June survey; however, actual harvested acres will come in closer to 6.1 million. Using an average yield of

59 bushels per acre, Canadian barley production will finish near 7.8 million mt. Unlike last year, the beginning stocks are historically small at 1.2 million mt; therefore, total barley supplies for 2011-12 are estimated at 9.1 million mt, down from 10.2 million mt in 2010-11.

Given the lower supplies, the domestic market will ration demand away from export channels. Therefore, local cash barley prices will remain above export prices. At the time of writing this article, the most recent Algerian barley tender was concluded at US$290 per mt cnf which equates to $150 per mt in central Saskatchewan after backing off all the freight and handling costs. Notice domestic feed usage is projected at 6.0 million mt, which is down from the 10-year average of 8.3 million mt.

Alternate feed sources will need to fill in the void from feed usage. The 2011-12 carry-out is estimated at 1.2 million mt, which is similar to 201011 but down from the 10-year average of 2.3 million mt.

During the 2010-11 crop year,

Supply and disposition of Canadian barley (’000 tonnes) Acres seeded Acres harvested Yield (bu./ac.)

10-year average

Estimated 10/11

Estimated 11/12

11,067 9,381 55

6,911 5,899 59.21

7,139 6,100 59.00

2,844 9,517 42 12,403

2,368 11,141 76 13,585

2,583 7,605 40 10,228

1,248 7,836 41 9,124

1,301 256 954 7,309 9,820 2,583

1,538 372 981 8,346 11,237 2,348

1,300 260 1,020 6,400 8,980 1,248

600 280 1,020 6,000 7,900 1,224

07/08 10,865 9,879 51.10

08/09 9,357 8,521 62.50

09/10 8,663 7,209 60.60

1,494 10,984 58 12,536

1,626 11,781 42 13,449

2,924 331 1,051 6,604 10,910 1,626

1,495 309 1,015 7,731 10,550 2,899

SUPPLY

Opening stocks Aug. 1 Production Imports TOTAL SUPPLY USE

Exports Seed Human food/industrial/1 Feed-waste-dockage TOTAL USE TOTAL CARRY-OVER

1/includes barley processed domestically and then exported as malt

www.canadiancattlemen.ca

the Russian cereal grain export ban resulted in relatively high world feed wheat prices. Farmers in Western Canada were encouraged to sell feed wheat through the CWB as export values were premium to the domestic market in most regions of Western Canada. In 2011-12, Russia will export 15 million to 20 million mt which will saturate feed wheat demand. I expect Canadian domestic feed wheat prices to trade at a premium to export values causing farmers to sell the bulk of their feed wheat locally. This is a major fundamental shift compared to last year.

Higher U.S. feed grain prices due to the tight corn fundamentals resulted in limited Canadian imports of U.S. corn and DDGS. Manitoba was feed deficit during 2010-11 causing barley prices in the Red River Valley to trade at a $20 premium to southern Alberta.

Barley and feed wheat in central Saskatchewan moved east into Manitoba instead of into Alberta feedlots. The feed grain deficit in Manitoba will be larger in 2011-12 in comparison to 2010-11 due to the large area that was unseeded in southern Manitoba and southeast Saskatchewan. This abnormal trade flow pattern will continue because prices in Manitoba will remain premium to Alberta.

Given the current environment, the price outlook for barley is rather neutral. Tight supplies will keep prices at the higher levels but we will see larger feed wheat consumption limiting the upside. At the time of writing this article, corn prices were expected to stay above $5.50 per bushel in the U.S. Midwest causing limited exports into Western Canada.

Gerald Klassen analyzes markets in Winnipeg and also maintains an interest in the family feedlot in southern Alberta.

He can be reached at jkci@mymts.net or 204-287-8268.

Cattlemen / August 2011 49

SALES AND EVENTS EVENTS August 7-9—Alberta Angus Junior Association Junior Show, Bashaw, Alta.

9-12—Canadian Cattlemen’s Association Semi-Annual Meeting, Deerfoot Inn and Casino, Calgary, Alta.

10—Beef 2011 International Livestock Congress, Deerfoot Inn and Casino, Calgary, Alta.

10—Canadian Charolais Youth Association Conference and Show, Saskatoon, Sask.

14—Old Time Ranch Rodeo, Bar U, Longview, Alta.

18—Canadian Junior Limousin Conference, Orangeville, Ont. 18—Middlesex County Cattlemen’s BBQ, Poplar Hill Park, Ont., contact Barbara Johnson 519-660-2945 18-20—Crop Sen$e — Open to all youth ages 17-25, topics to be discussed: marketing, production, financial management, human resources, social responsibility, succession planning, business structure and business strategy will be covered. For more information: www.4hontario.ca/youth/opportunities/ camps-conferences/crop-sense.aspx, University of Guelph’s Ridgetown College Campus 20—Canadian Limousin Association Annual General Meeting, Orangeville, Ont. 20—Canadian Maine Anjou Association Annual General Meeting, Regina, Sask.

26—Maritime Classic, Truro, Nova Scotia 27-28—Ontario Trillium, Cobden, Ont. 31-Sept. 4—Interior Provincial Exhibition, Armstrong, B.C.

September 7-8—4th Annual Ontario Cattlemen’s Association Cow-Calf Roadshow, Peterborough area, Ont. 11—Renfrew Fair, Renfrew, Ont. 13-15—Outdoor Farm Show, Woodstock, Ont. 20-24—International Plowing Match, Chutea-blondeau, Ont. 22—Alberta Shorthorn Assoc. “All-Star Classic Sale,” Lacombe, Alta.

24—Canadian Blonde D’aquitaine 37th Annual General Meeting, Lindsay, Ont. 30—Olds Classic Fall Beef Show, Olds Ag Society, Olds, Alta.

30-Oct. 2—Olds Fall Classic Beef Show, Olds Ag Society, Olds, Alta.

October 7-9—National Shorthorn Show, Victoriaville, Que. 8—Quebec Classic, Victoriaville, Que. 30-Nov. 2—Antimicrobial Stewardship in Canadian Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Marriott Toronto Airport Hotel, Toronto, Ont.

November 3-6—Canadian Limousin National Show and Sale, Royal Winter Fair, Toronto, Ont. 3-6—Manitoba Livestock Expo, Keystone Centre, Brandon, Man. 4-13—Royal Winter Fair, Exhibition Place, Toronto, Ont. 4-13—Farmfair International, Northlands, Edmonton, Alta.

5—Canadian National Red and Black Angus Shows, Manitoba Livestock Expo, Brandon, Man. 9-12—Agri-Trade 2011, Westerner Park, Red Deer, Alta.

9-12—Saskatoon Fall Fair, Prairieland Park, Saskatoon, Sask.

9-13—Canadian Finals Rodeo, Rexall Place, Edmonton, Alta.

21-26—Canadian Western Agribition, Evraz Place, Regina, Sask.

December

5-7—2011 Grazing School and Manitoba Forage Symposium, Victoria Inn, Winnipeg, Man.

SALES October 21-22—Red Roundup Show and Sale, Westerner Grounds, Red Deer, Alta.

22—All Star Classic Shorthorn Sale hosted by Alberta Shorthorn Association, Lacombe Research Station, Lacombe, Alta.

Livestock Marketers of Canada 2011-12 board of directors (l-r): back, Tom Vicars, B.C.; Rhett Parks, Sask.; Larr y Witzel, Ont.; Jim Wideman (executive director); Bob Perlich, Alta.; Steve Spratt, Ont. Front row: Rick Wright, Man.; Ken Perlich (first vice), Alta.; Jim Abel (president), Alta.; Scott Anderson (second vice), Man.; Stewar t Stone, Sask. Missing: Michael Fluer y (past president), Sask.

50

CATTLEMEN / AUGUST 2011

AD INDEX Page Alberta Agriculture, Food and Rural Development 43 Assiniboia Livestock Auction 29 Bow Slope Shipping Assoc.

33 Calgary Stockyards Ltd. 33 Canada’s Outdoor Farm Show 21 Canadian Angus Assoc.

IFC Canadian Charolais Assoc.

OBC Canadian Hereford Assoc.

43 Canadian Limousin Assoc.

43 Canadian Red Angus Promotion Society 43 Canadian Shorthorn Assoc.

23 Canadian Welsh Black Society 43 Canadian Wheat Board 17 Direct Livestock Marketing Systems 31, 33 Elanco Animal Health 13 Federation des producteurs de bovins du Quebec 33 Gallagher USA 13 Grunthal Livestock Auction Mart 33 Innisfail Auction Market 33 International Stock Foods 43 Intervet Canada Corp.

39, IBC Kawartha Lakes Co-operative Auction 33 Killarney Auction Mart Ltd. 33 Lakeland Group/Northstar 10 a-p Livestock Markets Assoc.

31 Matchmakers Select 43 Merial Canada Ltd. 5, 15 Northlands Farmfair International 37 Northwest Consolidated Beef 43 Novartis Animal Health 17 Nutrition Service Associates 45 Ontario Livestock Exchange Inc. 33 Perlich Bros. Auction Market Ltd. 33 Pfizer Animal Health 24, 25, A 1-16 Picture Butte Auction Market 33 Red Brand Fence 12 Scotiabank 7 Triple J Livestock Ltd. 33 Vetoquinol Canada Inc. 9 VJV Foothills Livestock Auction 33 Winnipeg Livestock Sales Ltd. 33

 Event listings are a free service to industry.  Sale listings are for our advertisers.

Your contact is Deborah Wilson at 403-325-1695 or deb.wilson@fbcpublishing.com

Breed representatives present the Ontario Livestock Exchange with a commemorative picture for hosting the Livestock Markets Association of Canada annual conference. (l-r) Brian Good, Canadian Angus Association; Mike Geddes, Canadian Limousin Association; John Mielhausen, Canadian Charolais Association; Larr y Witzel, OLEX; Bruce Holmquist, Canadian Simmental Association; Ron Wells, Canadian Hereford Association. www.canadiancattlemen.ca

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速 Registered trademark of Pharmacia & Upjohn Company LLC. Pfizer Canada Inc., Licensee. XCB JADP02 0111E

B R IT IS H COLUM BI A ABBOTSFORD McClary Stockyards Ltd.* Box 40, Abbotsford, B.C. V2T 6Z4 Phone: 604-864-2381 • Fax: 604-854-3038 E-mail: mcclarystockyard@shaw.ca Website: mcclarystockyards.com Contact: Jono Rushton............................. 604-823-2125 Dave Rushton............................ 604-823-6692 Regular Sales: Every Mon., 11 a.m. – Slaughter & feeder cattle, sheep & goats Every Wed., 1 p.m. – Dairy & beef cattle Special Sales: Contact for details

ARMSTRONG Valley Auction Ltd.* 903 Raffan Road Armstrong, B.C. V0E 1B7 Phone: 250-546-9420 • Fax: 250-546-3399 E-mail: mail@valleyauction.ca Website: www.valleyauction.ca Contact: Donald J. Raffan ....................... 250-558-6789 Peter Raffan .............................. 250-260-0758 Rod Burnett ............................... 250-308-8185 Regular Sales: Thurs., 11 a.m. – All breeds Special Sales: Check website for details Internet Sales: Canadian Satellite Livestock Auction www.cslauction.com (see Red Deer)

DAWSON CREEK VJV Dawson Creek Auction 301-116th Ave., Dawson Creek, B.C. V1G 3C9 Phone: 250-782-3766 • Fax: 250-782-6622 Contact: Don Fessler................................ 250-719-5561 Regular Sales: Every Thurs.., 10 a.m.

Special sales.

Mon., Oct. 3, 17, 24; Nov. 21 – Calf & yearlings Mon., Nov. 7, 28; Dec. 5 – Cows & bred heifers Sat., Sept. 24; Dec. 3 – Horses Sat., Sept. 10 – Sheep Internet Sales: Canadian Satellite Livestock Auction www.cslauction.com (see Red Deer)

KAMLOOPS B.C. Livestock Producers Co-operative Association* #1 10145 Dallas Dr., Kamloops, B.C. V2C 6T4 Phone: 250-573-3939 • Fax: 250-573-3170 E-mail: info@bclivestock.bc.ca Website: www.bclivestock.bc.ca Contact: Nico Hanemaayer ...................... 250-319-3992 Wilf Smith ................................. 250-398-7174 Al Smith .................................... 250-567-4333 Larry Jordan............................... 250-573-3939 Wayne Jordan ............................ 250-573-3939 Regular Sales: Okanagan Falls: Mondays Kamloops: Tuesdays Williams Lake: Thursdays Vanderhoof: Fridays Special Sales: Horse sales/equipment/bred cow & heifers/bull sales Internet Sales: TEAM (The Electronic Auction Market) www.teamauctionsales.com (see Calgary)

LANGLEY Fraser Valley Auctions 21801 – 56th Avenue Langley, B.C. V2Y 2M9 Phone: 604-534-3241 • Fax: 604-534-4770 E-mail: livestock@fraservalleyauction.com Website: www.fraservalleyauction.com Contact: Ken Pearson .............................. 604-534-3241 Regular Sales: Every Wed., 11 a.m. – Cattle Special Sales: Aug. 16, 30; Sept. 13; Oct. 4, 7 p.m. – Mixed feeder

ALBERTA BONNYVILLE Western Pride Auction Co. Ltd.* Box 6587, Bonnyville, Alta. T9N 2H1 Phone: 780-826-2233 • Fax: 780-826-2243 Contact: Marc Jubinville .......................... 780-826-0992 Andy Jubinville .......................... 780-645-6695 Robert Gagne ............................ 780-826-1131 Regular Sales: Every Tues., 10 a.m.

Special Sales: Contact for details

BROOKS Bow Slope Shipping* Box 1299, Brooks, Alta. T1R 1C2 Phone: 403-362-5521 • Fax: 403-362-5541 E-mail: bowslope@eidnet.org Website: www.bowslope.com Contact: Manager, Rod MacLean............. 403-793-3060 Lachie McKinnon ...............................................

Lowell Johnston .................................................

Regular Sales: Every Fri., 9 a.m.

Special Sales: Tues., Sept. 13, 10 a.m. – 71th annual anniversary yearlings & calves Mon., Sept. 19, 1 p.m. – Sheep & goats Wed., Sept. 28, 5:30 p.m. – Horses Wed., Oct. 19, Nov. 16, 24; Mon., Dec. 5, 10 a.m. – All breed calves Sat., Oct. 22, 29; Nov. 5, 10 a.m. – Rancher calves Oct. 24, 25, 31; Nov. 7, 10 a.m. – Red & black angus calves Wed., Oct. 26; Nov. 2, 9, 10 a.m. – Limo & charolais calves Nov. 19, 26, 30; Dec. 3, 7, 10, 14 – Bred cow & heifers Internet Sales: Every Thus.

Direct Livestock Marketing Systems www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton)

CALGARY Calgary Stockyards – Strathmore 1 mile west of Strathmore on Trans Canada Hwy. Phone: 403-234-7429 • Fax: 403-266-3368 E-mail: info@calgarystockyards.com Website: www.calgarystockyards.com Contact: Don Danard ............................... 403-234-7429 Bryan Danard ............................ 403-934-1644 Will Irvine .................................. 403-560-4343 Bill Wilson ................................. 403-560-5265 Jason Danard ............................ 403-519-8916 Murray Flewelling ...................... 403-234-7429 Neil Friesen ............................... 403-560-5310 Lester Gurnett ........................... 403-681-3151 Cliff Pahl ................................... 403-854-1900

Ben Payne ................................. 403-633-4175 Jeff Van Wert ............................. 403-793-9988 Regular Sales: Thurs., 8 a.m. – All classes Every Wed. starting Nov. 2 – Dec. 14, 11 a.m. – Bred cows & heifers Special Sales: Calf sales every Sat., Oct. 8 to Dec. 3 Internet Sales: TEAM (The Electronic Auction Market) www.teamauctionsales.com Calgary Stockyards Ltd. #200-5925 12th St. S.E. Calgary, Alta. T2H 2M3 Contact: Jason Danard ............................ 403-519-8916 Don Danard ............................... 403-234-7429 Will Irvine .................................. 403-560-4343 Bill Wilson ................................. 403-560-5265 Bryan Danard ............................ 403-934-1644 Lester Gurnett ........................... 403-681-3151 Cliff Pahl ................................... 403-854-1900 Ben Payne ................................. 403-633-4175 Jeff Van Wert ............................. 403-793-9988 TEAM (The Electronic Auction Market) Contact: Jason Danard ............................ 403-234-7429 Regular Sales: Thurs., 9:30 a.m. MST – Slaughter cattle Fri., 9 a.m. MST – Feeder cattle Real time bidding, picture, pre-approval required for bidding www.teamauctionsales.com

CLYDE Nilsson Bros. Inc. Box 119, Clyde, Alta. T0G 0P0 Phone: 780-348-5893 • Fax: 780-348-5704 E-mail: jchesher@nbinc.com Website: www.nbinc.com Contact: Len Hrehorets ....................................991-6737 Garth Rogers .....................................349-1491 Purebred & special sales Travis Rogers.....................................307-3144 Regular Sales:Tues., 9 a.m.– Regular sales 9 a.m. – Presort sales Thurs., 9 a.m. – Regular sales Special Sales: Sat. – Calf, yearlings & cow Contact for details Internet sales: Direct Livestock Marketing Systems www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton) Contact: Reagan Huculak........................ 780-554-4939

DRAYTON VALLEY Sekura Livestock* Box 6808, Drayton Valley, Alta. T7A 1S2 Phone: 780-542-4337 • Fax: 780-542-3444 E-mail sekuraauctions@msn.com Website: www.sekuraauctions.com Contact: Corey Sekura ............................. 780-898-5600 Mack Vars ................................. 780-898-5604 Roy Abey .................................... 780-898-5605 Levi Pedgerachny ...................... 780-898-5602 Travis Sekura............................. 780-621-6841 Regular Sales: Every Thurs., 9 a.m. – Cattle 1st Sat. of the month, Oct. to Apr., 2012 – Bison Every Mon., 10 a.m.

Oct. to Dec. – Feeders Every 2nd Sat., 12 noon, Oct. to Apr., 2010 – Bred cows Special Sales: Call for fall stock cow & bred heifer sale dates

Edmonton Direct Livestock Marketing Systems #303 13220 St. Albert Trail Edmonton, Alta. T5L 4W1 Phone: 780-554-4939 • Fax: 780-7324385 E-mail: rhuculak@dlms.ca Website: www.dlms.ca Internet Sales: Thurs., 10 a.m. MT– DLMS Direct off-farm cattle sales Daily (fall, winter & spring) – Live broadcast of presort sales from auction rings across Western Canada.

Purebred and Specialty Sales Pre-approval required for bidding Participating markets: Assiniboia Livestock Market; Balog Auction Services; Bow Slope Shipping Assoc.; Burnt Lake Livestock Market; Cowtown Livestock Exchange; Highwood Livestock Auction; Fort Macleod Auction; Grande Prairie Livestock Market; Heartland Livestock Services (HLS) Lloydminster; HLS Yorkton; HLS Prince Albert; HLS Swift Current; HLS Regina; HLS Moose Jaw; HLS Brandon; HLS Virden; NBI Clyde; NBI Vermilion; Provost Livestock Exchange; Saskatoon Livestock Sales; Weyburn Livestock Exchange.

FORT MACLEOD Fort Macleod* Box 1330, Fort Macleod, Alta. T0L 0Z0 Phone: 403-553-3315 • Fax: 403-553-4264 E-mail: hpcla@livestock.ab.ca Website: www.livestock.ab.ca Contact: Darren Shaw............................... 403-601-5165 Justin Keeley............................... 403-627-6534 Dan McDougall........................... 403-634-0604 Allan Lively................................. 403-627-7776 Sheep/ hog Blaine Kellington................................. 403-312-1279 Regular Sales:

Every Tues., 9 a.m. – Mixed cattle

Every Thurs., Oct. &

Nov., 9 a.m. – Calves Special Sales: Oct. 16 – Exotic/ Charolais calves

Oct. 21 – Angus feature Internet sales: Direct Livestock Marketing Systems www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton)

Grande Prairie Grande Prairie Livestock Market 14809 – 100 St., Grande Prairie, Alta. T8V 7C2 Phone: 780-532-3949 • Fax: 780-532-2211 Website: www.gplmcattle.com Contact: Marty Gilfillan............................. 780-831-4399 Rick Johnson............................... 780-831-5324 Ralph Calder............................... 780-518-5586 Regular Sales: Every Wed. Special sales: See our website or a calendar from the GPLM. Internet Sales: Direct Livestock Market Systems www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton)

HIGH RIVER Highwood Livestock Auction* Box 5145, High River, Alta. T1V 1M3 Phone: 403-652-3343 • Fax: 403-652-3446 E-mail: hpcla@livestock.ab.ca Website: www.livestock.ab.ca Contact: Jesse Starling............................. 403-312-1276 Darren Shaw............................... 403-601-5165 Peter Wambeke........................... 403-652-9647 Allan Lively................................. 403-627-7776 Justin Keeley............................... 403-627-6534

Sheep & hogs Blaine Kellington........................ 403-312-1279 Regular Sales:

Every Mon., 9 a.m. – Mixed cattle Special sales: Wed., Oct. & Nov., 9 a.m. – Calves Internet Sales: Direct Livestock Marketing Systems www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton)

INNISFAIL Innisfail Auction Mart* 4504 – 42 St., Innisfail, Alta. T4G 1P6 Toll free 1-800-710-3166 Phone: 403-227-3166 • Fax: 403-227-2202 E-mail: iamarket@telus.net Website: www.innisfailauctionmarket.com Contact: J ack Daines................................. 403-227-5113 Danny Daines............................. 403-227-1075 Duane Daines............................. 403-358-4971 Mark Daines................................ 403-350-0200 Regular Sales: Every Wed. – All classes of cattle Every Mon. in the fall, 10 a.m. – Calves Bi-weekly horse sales

LETHBRIDGE Balog Auction Services Inc. Box 786, Lethbridge, Alta. T1J 3Z6 Phone: 403-320-1980 • Toll free 877-320-1980 Fax: 403-320-2660 E-mail: sold@balogauction.com Website: www.balogauction.com Contact: R .C. (Bob) Balog......................... 403-320-1980 Doug Mackintosh........................ 403-320-1980 Louis Balog................................. 403-331-0611 Brad Balog.................................. 403-642-7444 Mark Lenz................................... 403-330-7600 Ron Reid..................................... 403-625-0233 ................................................... 403-320-1980 Regular Sales: Every Wed., 10:30 a.m. – Cull cows, bulls & finished cattle

1 p.m. – Feeders, stockers, yearlings Special Sales: Every Fri., 10:30 a.m.,

Sept. 9 to Dec. 16; Every Tues., 10:30 a.m.,

Oct. 4 to Nov.29 – Rancher calves Tues., Oct. 18, 10:30 a.m. – British breed calves Tues., Oct. 25, 10:30 a.m. – Angus Rancher calves

Mon., 1 p.m.,

Oct. 4 to Dec. 1 – Special stock cow & bred heifers

Sat., Nov. 26, 1 p.m. – 13th Annual Rainbow’s End replacement bred & open heifer sale Perlich Bros. Auction Market Ltd.* Box 1057, Lethbridge, Alta. T1J 4A2 Phone: 403-329-3101 • Fax: 403-327-2288 E-mail: auction@perlich.com Website: www.perlich.com Contact: Bob Perlich................................. 403-382-7800 Doug Domolewski....................... 403-223-1840 Darcy Moorhead.......................... 403-635-0308 John Perlich................................ 403-331-9911 Ken Lidberg................................. 403-382-8189 Regular Sales:

Thurs., 10:30 a.m. – Slaughter cattle

Thurs., 11:30 a.m. – Yearling cattle Special Sales:

Every Mon. & Wed.,

Oct. to Dec., 10 a.m. – Calves

Every Tues.,

Nov. to Dec., 1 p.m. – Stock cows & bred heifers

Every Thurs., Sept. to Oct., 11:30 a.m. – Special yearlings

Every Sat.,

Oct. 15 to Nov. 12 – Presort

Fri., Sept. 30, 6 p.m.;

Sat., Oct.1, 11 a.m. – Perlich Bros. fall horses

MEDICINE HAT Medicine Hat Feeding Co.* 3381 Gershaw Dr. S.W., Medicine Hat, Alta. T1B 3N2 Toll free 1-800-452-3129 Phone: 403-526-3129 • Fax: 403-528-9355 Website: www.mhfc.ca Contact: Lyle Taylor................................... 403-528-0797 Nolan Herman............................. 403-502-6417 Regular Sales: Every Wed., 9:30 a.m.

Special Sales:

Fri., Aug. 12, 26;

Sept. 9, 10 a.m. – Yearling presort Every Mon., Wed., Fri.,

Oct. 17 to Nov. 18 &

Dec. 2, 10 a.m. – Presort calves Wed., Nov. 16, 24, 30;

Dec. 7, 14, 1 p.m. – Bred cows & heifers

OLDS Olds Auction Mart Ltd.* 4613 – 54 St., Olds, Alta. T4H 1E9 Phone: 403-556-3655 • Fax: 403-556-2688 Website: www.oldsauction.com Contact: Dan Rosehill............................... 403-556-4458 Jim Crawford............................... 403-556-4457 Greg Sanderson.......................... 403-559-7204 Joel Waddell................................ 403-512-6151 Tyler Rosehill............................... 403-507-1782 Patrick Cassidy........................... 403-559-7207 Regular Sales:

Every Tues., 9 a.m. – All classes Special Sales: Every Fri., Sept. through

Dec., 10 a.m. – Presort calves (load lots) Every Fri., Dec. through

Apr., 2012, 10 a.m. – Preconditioned calves

Every Tues., Oct.

through Dec., 1 p.m. – Bred heifers & cow dispersals Internet Sales: Canadian Satellite Livestock Auction www.cslauction.com (see Red Deer)

PICTURE BUTTE Picture Butte Auction Market 2001 Ltd.* Box 6, Picture Butte, Alta. T0K 1V0 Phone: 403-732-4400 • Fax: 403-732-4405 Website: www.picturebutteauction.ca Contact: Erik............................................. 403-308-6662 Brad............................................ 403-382-7362 Regular Sales:

Tues., 10:30 a.m. – Cattle

Sat., 11 a.m. – All livestock Special sales: 10:30 a.m.

Tues., Sept. 13, 27 – Yearlings

Tues., Oct. 18, 25 – All breeds of calves

Tues., Nov. 1 – Angus influence calves

Tues., Nov. 8 – Charolais calves Sat., Nov. 5, 12,19, 26,

12 noon – All breeds of calves Sat. Nov. 19; Dec. 3, 17,

12:30 p.m. – Bred stock

PONOKA Vold, Jones and Vold Auction Co. Ltd.* 4410 Hwy. 2A, Ponoka, Alta. T4J 1J8 Phone: 403-783-5561 • Fax: 403-783-4120 E-mail: office@vjvauction.com Website: www.vjvauction.com Contact: Don Brennan............................... 403-783-0633 Neil Campbell............................. 780-814-4113 Trevor Duke................................. 403-740-5753 Donny Fessler.............................. 250-719-5561 Mel Heintz................................... 780-940-4109 Mitch Hettler............................... 403-302-0681 Craig Jacklin............................... 403-783-1453 Ron Kramer................................. 250-827-3245 Doug Lamoureux......................... 403-392-4317 Harry Makkinga(dairy).................. 403-783-1274 Stan Skeels................................. 403-704-0288 Nansen Vold................................ 403-783-0349 Andrew Wildeboer....................... 780-348-9358 Mike Brennan............................. 403-783-1074 Regular Sales: Every Wed. 8:30 a.m. – Butcher cows/bulls (rings 1, 2); 9 a.m. – Stockers & feeders (ring 1); 11 a.m. – Canadian Satellite Livestock Auction followed by Canadian Gold Show Alley with live online bidding (ring 1); Hay & straw (outside); 12 noon – Dairy cows/baby calves, hogs (ring 3); 2 p.m. – Bred cows & heifers, cow-calf pairs (ring 2) Special Sales:

Sat., Sept. 10 – All breed horse sale (ring 1)

Sat., Sept. 10, 24;

Oct. 1, 15, 22, 29;

Nov. 5, 19, Dec. 10, – Calves & yearlings

Sept. 24 – Simmental & Angus influence calves

Oct. 15 – Speckled Park influence calves

Oct. 22 – Limousin & Angus influence calves

Oct 29 – Simmental & Charolais influence calves Sat., Nov. 5, 19, Dec. 10 – Bred cows Internet Sales: Canadian Satellite Livestock Auction www.cslauction.com (see Red Deer)

PROVOST Provost Livestock Exchange* Box 808, Provost, Alta. T0B 3S0 Phone: 780-753-2369 • Fax: 780-753-2493 E-mail: plec@plecattle.com Website: www.plecattle.com Contact: Jerry Hewson............................... 780-753-2919 Dean Lawes................................ 780-753-6313 Jack Lawes.................................. 780-753-2874 Darcy Lakevold........................... 780-753-2895 Wayne Black............................... 403-578-4640 Regular Sales:

Every Fri., 9 a.m. – Butcher cows & bulls, yearlings & reputation stocker calves Special Sales:

Fri., Oct. 7 to

Dec. 16, 9 a.m. – All breed presort live broadcast calves followed by regular butcher cow & bulls Mon., Oct. 17, 24, 31;

Nov. 7, 14, 21, 28, 9 a.m. – All breeds live broadcast presort calves

Mon., Oct. 24;

Nov. 17, 9 a.m. – Black, Red Angus & Limousin X calves

Wed., Nov. 9 to

Dec. 21, 12 noon – Bred heifer & stock cows Internet Sales: Direct Livestock Marketing Services www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton)

RED DEER Burnt Lake Livestock Mart 131A-28042-Hwy 11 Red Deer, Alta. T4S 2L4 Phone: 403-347-6100 • Fax: 403-340-3560 Website: www.burntlakelivestock.com Contact: M el Glencross............................. 403-358-9442 Ken Buckland............................. 403-350-0889 Regular Sales:

Every Thurs., 9 a.m. – Slaughter

10 a.m. – Feeder cattle & calves Special Sales: 10 a.m.

Aug. 25; Sept. 1, 8, 15, 22 – Yearlings

Sept. 29 – Calf & yearlings

Oct. 6, 27 – Angus influence

Oct. 13, 20; Nov. 3 – Charolais & Simmental calves

Nov. 10 – British breeds influence calves

Nov. 17, 24 – All breed calves

Nov. 1, 8, 15 – Feeder

Dec. 1, 22 – Bred cow & heifers Internet Sales: Direct Livestock Marketing Systems www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton) Canadian Satellite Livestock Auction Box 26005, Red Deer, Alta. T4N 6X7 Phone: 403-346-8365 • Fax: 340-2019 E-mail: csla@cslauction.com Website: www.cslauction.com Canadian Satellite Livestock Auction now offers a total internet service, in association with OnLine Ringman, the largest Internet auction company. Live sales are broadcast every Wednesday at 11 a.m. on www.cslauction.com featuring live video with internet bidding on the cattle as well as phone-in bidding. Live Auctioneer, Live Video, Real-Time Bidding. Call for details on bull sales or farm sales.

NOTES

_______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________ _______________________________

RIMBEY Rimbey Auction Mart* Box 680, Rimbey, Alta. T0C 2J0 Phone: 403-843-2439 • Fax: 403-843-3485 E-mail: rimbeyauction@telusplanet.net Website: www.rimbeyauction.com Contact: Allen Olson.................................. 403-783-0556 Darryl Friesen.............................. 403-318-1630 Barry Neumeier........................... 403-350-8222 Monty Hollingsworth..................... 403-845-0306 Regular Sales: Every Tues., 9 a.m. – All classes Special Sales: Sept. 13 – Charolais calves

Sept. 20 – Simmental calves

Oct 18; Nov. 18 – Angus calves

Oct. 21; Nov. 4, 25;

Dec. 2, 16 – Bred cows Internet Sales: TEAM (The Electronic Auction Market) www.teamauctionsales.com (see Calgary) Contact: Darryl Friesen

STAVELY VJV Foothills Livestock Auction Stavely Box 10, Stavely, Alta. T0L 1Z0 Phone: 403-549-2120 • Toll free 877-549-2121 Fax: 403-549-2253 E-mail: foothillsoffice@vjvauction.com Website: www.vjvfoothillsauction.com Contact: Rob Bergevin.............................. 403-625-7171 Niel Deitz.................................... 403-485-8453

NOTES

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Kim Cochlin................................ 403-625-1035 Lorne Depaoli.............................. 403-652-0344 Regular Sales: Every Fri. at 9 a.m.

Slaughter cattle, feeder cattle to follow Special Sales: Every Mon. through out Oct. & Nov. Contact for details Internet sales: Canadian Satellite Livestock Auction www.cslauction.com (see Red Deer)

STETTLER Stettler Auction Mart (1990) Ltd.* Box 1238, Stettler, Alta. T0C 2L0 Phone: 403-742-2368 • Fax: 403-742-8151 E-mail: sam1990@telusplanet.net Website: www.stettlerauction.ab.ca Contact: Jim Abel...................................... 403-740-9609 Greg Hayden............................... 403-740-9610 Brad Lohr.................................... 780-679-5500 Dick Creasey............................... 403-740-9434 Regular Sales:

Every Tues., 9 a.m. – Mixed sales

Fri., 10 a.m. – Special calf/bred cows Special Sales:

Aug. 16, 30;

Sept. 6, 20 – Yearling feeder

Sept. 27; Oct. 7,

14, 21, 28; Nov. 11 – Presorted calves, single owner lots

Oct. 14; Nov. 4 – Angus/British calves

Oct. 29; Nov. 18, 25;

Dec. 3, 9, 16 – Bred cows & heifers

Nov. 1 – Charolais & Simmental calves

Nov. 4 – Limousin calves

Dec. 6, 13 – Preconditioned calves Internet Sales: Canadian Satellite Livestock Auction www.cslauction.com (see Red Deer)

THORSBY Thorsby Auction Mart Ltd.* Box 379, Thorsby, Alta. T0C 2P0 Phone/Fax: 780-789-3915 Contact: Harley Steinke (Res.).................. 780-986-1097 (Cell)........................................... 780-991-6307 Regular Sales: Every Mon. – All breed mixed livestock Special Sales: Bred cow, heifer & bull sales to be announced. Contact for details

VERMILION Nilsson Bros. Livestock Exchange Box 3300, Vermilion, Alta. T9X 2B2 Phone: 780-853-5372 • Fax: 780-853-2521 E-mail: vermilion@nbinc.com Website: www.nbinc.com Contact: Rusty Stalwick............................ 780-853-7669 Jim Pulyk..................................... 780-853-0626 Bob Foxwell................................. 780-842-0410 Les Trach.................................... 780-645-0939 Harvey Trach............................... 780-645-5172 Pat Lawerence............................ 780-826-2655 Steiger Stalwick.......................... 780-853-7946 Dave Crittal.......................306-344-2188/2184 Ryan Noble.................................. 306-839-7949 Roland Goertz ............................ 780-656-0506 Lorne Davey............................. 306-843-7606 Regular Sales: Every Wed.

9 a.m. – Butcher cows & bulls

12 noon – Presort internet sales Special Sales:

Sat., Oct. 22;

Nov. 5, 10 a.m. – Angus influence presort Internet calves

Sat., Oct. 29; Nov. 19 – Exotic cross presort Internet calves Sat., Nov. 26; Dec. 3, 12 noon – Bred cows/heifers

Mon., Dec. 5 – Annual Westman Farms bred heifers Sat., Dec. 10, 12 noon – M.C.Quantock Production sale

Mon., Dec. 12 – Ryan Noble & Y-coulee annual bred heifers

Sat., Dec. 17; Mon., Dec. 19, 12 noon – Open consignment cow/heifer sale Internet Sales: Direct Livestock Marketing Sales www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton)

VETERAN Dryland Cattle Trading Corp.

Box 615, Veteran, Alta. T0C 2S0 Phone: 403-575-3772 • Fax: 403-575-3935 E-mail: dryland5@veterancable.net Website: www.drylandcattle.com Contact: Ian Goodbrand............................ 780-753-1515 Graham Schetzsle....................... 403-575-4001 Bob Wills..................................... 403-575-1108 Kirk Goldsmith............................ 403-575-5654 George Glazier............................. 403-575-1165 Kurt Cole..................................... 403-575-5388 Regular Sales:

Every Mon. – Slaughter cows & bulls, feeders Special Sales: Please check our website for dates for feeder calf, bred cow & bred heifer sales

viking Viking Auction Market Ltd. Box 100, Viking, Alta. T0B 4N0 Phone: 780-336-2209 • Fax: 780-336-2278 E-mail: vikauc@gmail.com Website: www.vikingauctionmarket.ca Contact: Cliff Grinde................................. 780-336-6333 Mike Gould.................................. 780-336-6484 Darcy Sheets............................... 780-336-6485 Allen Stefiuk................................ 780-632-8701 Garry Zimmer.............................. 780-889-3793 Robert Kunnick........................... 780-336-6301 Mark Anderson............................ 780-853-0769 Regular Sales:

Every Tues., 9 a.m. – Cattle

WESTLOCK Triple J Livestock Ltd. 9004 – 110 A St., Westlock, Alta. T7P 2N4 Phone: 780-349-3153 • Fax: 780-349-5466 E-mail: kenjjj@live.ca Website: www.triplejlivestock.com Contact: Ken Assenheimer........................ 780-305-3787 Ivan Potts.................................... 780-349-1270 Bob Scott.................................... 780-689-9203 Trent Ewasiw............................... 780-349-0239 Hank Stach................................. 780-898-3733 Shaun Giss................................. 780-898-5603 Regular Sales:

Every Fri., 9:00 a.m.

Every 2nd Wed. – Sheep & goats

Every 3rd Sat. – Horse sale Special Sales: Call for details

SASKATCHEWAN ALAMEDA Alameda Auction Market Box 370, Alameda, Sask. S0C 0A0 Phone: 306-489-2221 • Fax: 306-489-2238 Contact: Brad Knutson ............................. 306-594-7637 Don Jermey................................. 306-483-7765 Regular Sales: Wed., Aug.3; Sept. 14; Oct. 5, 19; Nov. 2, 16; Dec. 7, 15, – All classes Special Sales: Wed., Aug. 17, 31 – Yearlings Wed., Sept. 28; Oct. 12, 26; Nov. 9, 23; Dec. 7 – Presort calves Call for dates on bred cow sales

ASSINIBOIA Assiniboia Livestock Auction* Box 1328, Assiniboia, Sask. S0H 0B0 Phone: 306-642-5358 • Fax: 306-642-4549 E-mail: ala@assiniboiaauction.com Website: www.assiniboiaauction.com Contact: Roy Rutledge Ryan Rutledge Rene Boutin Chris Hannah Regular Sales: Every 2nd Wed. starting Oct. 12 to Dec. 7 Special Sales: Aug. 17, 31 – Yearlings Dec. 3, 10, 17 – Bred cow/heifers Internet sales: 11 a.m.

(Pre-approval required for bidding) Sat., Oct. 29; Nov. 26, – Presorted Angus & Hereford calves Sat., Oct. 15, 22; Nov. 5, 12, 19, – Presorted Angus/ AngusX calves Tues., Oct. 18 – CharolaisX calf/yearlings Tues., Oct. 25; Nov. 8, 29 – Presorted CharX & Red AngusX calf/yearlings Tues., Nov. 1, 15, 22 – Presorted CharX or Red AngusX calves Tues., Dec. 6, 13– Presorted all breeds calf/yearlings Internet Sales: Direct Livestock Marketing Services www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton)

GLENAVON Candiac Auction Mart Box 39, Glenavon, Sask. S0G 1Y0 Phone: 306-424-2967 • Fax: 306-424-2097 Contact: Kevin Czerwonka........................ 306-539-4090 Janet Czerwonka ........................ 306-539-0165 Brad Stenberg............................ 306-551-9411 Regular Sales: Every Fri., 10 a.m.

Special Sales: Contact for details

KELVINGTON Kelvington Stockyards Box 640, Kelvington, Sask. S0A 1W0 Phone: 306-327-4642 • Fax: 306-327-4311 Contact: Clint Peterson ............................ 306-327-4642 Gary Rudychuk ........................... 306-865-7448 Special Sales: Contact for details

LEROSS

MANKOTA

Parkland Livestock Market* Box 250, Kelliher, Sask. S0A 1V0 Phone: 306-675-2077 • Fax: 306-675-2033 E-mail: parklandlivestockmarket@sasktel.net website: www.parklandlivestockmarket.com Contact: Brian Murry ................................ 306-621-1239 Robert Ross ............................... 306-795-7387 Regular Sales: Every Thurs., Aug. 18 to Dec. 15, 10 a.m. – Slaughter cows & bulls, feeder cattle & calves Special Sales: Aug. 18, 25; Sept. 1, 8, 15, 29 – Off grass yearling & calves Oct. 27; Nov. 3, 17, 24; Dec. 1 – Red & Black Angus influence calves Nov. 5, 19; Dec. 3, 15 – Bred cow & heifers

Mankota Stockmen’s Weigh Co. Ltd.* Box 248, Mankota, Sask. S0H 2W0 Phone: 306-478-2229 • Fax: 306-478-2443 E-mail: mankotastockmens@sasktel.net Website: www.mankotastockmens.com Contact: John Williamson ......................... 306-478-2433 Ev Chanig .................................. 306-478-2229 Special Sales: 12 noon Aug. 19 – All classes feat. yearlings Sept. 2 – All classes feat. yearlings Oct. 7 – Special yearlings Oct. 14 – All classes feat. yearlings & calves Oct. 21 – Certified Angus calves CAR Oct. 28 – All breeds calf sale feat. Hereford, Red Angus, Charolais Nov. 4 – Angus calves Nov. 11 – All breeds calves Nov. 18 – All classes Dec. 2 – 22nd annual select bred heifer, open replacement & long yearling bulls Dec. 9 – Herd dispersals Dec. 16 – All classes with bred cows & heifers

LLOYDMINSTER Heartland Livestock Services Box 930, Lloydminster, Sask. S9V 1C4 Phone: 306-825-8831 • Fax: 306-825-7713 E-mail: lloydminster.lmc@hls.ca or rcopeland@his.ca Website: www.hls.ca Contact: Russ Copeland........................... 780-808-6548 Wayne Woodman ........................ 306-821-6310 Doug Health ............................... 306-821-6668 Regular Sales: Every Thurs., 9 a.m.

Special Sales: Every Wed. 8:30 a.m., Sept. 28 to Dec. 14 – Presort yearling & calves Wed., Oct. 19, Nov.30 – Presort Black Angus & Angus influence calves Mon., Nov. 7 – Special annual presort Black Angus & Angus influence calves Wed. Nov. 16 – Presort Hereford & Black Angus influence calves Every Thurs., 10 a.m. – Farm Internet Sale Internet Sales: Direct Livestock Marketing Services www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton)

MAPLE CREEK Cowtown Livestock Exchange Inc.* Box 730, Maple Creek, Sask. S0N 1N0 Toll free 1-800-239-5933 Phone: 306-662-2648 • Fax: 306-662-2615 E-mail: cowtown.ls@sasktel.net Website: www.cowtownlivestock.ca Contact: Wayne Bowyer ............................ 306-662-2648 Gordie Cameron ......................... 306-622-2234 Rocky Houff................................ 403-527-0352 Darvin Mason............................. 306-662-8218 Regular Sales: 11 a.m.

Every Tues., Aug. 2 to Oct. 11 & Nov. 8 to Dec. 13 Special Sales: Thurs., Aug. 11, 18, 25; Sept. 1, 8 – Presort yearlings Tues., Sept. 20, Nov. 8 – Off-truck yearlings with regular sale Tues., Oct. 18 & Thurs.,Oct. 20 – Presort Angus calves Sat., Oct. 15, Nov. 12 – Presort all breed calves

Sat, Oct. 22 – Presort Angus & Hereford calves

Tues., Oct. 25 – Presort Charolais & Simmental calves

Thurs., Oct. 27;

Tues., Nov. 1 – Presort all breed calves feat. Angus

Sat., Oct. 29; Nov. 3 – Presort all breed calves feat. Angus & Hereford Thurs., Nov. 17, Nov. 24; Tues., Nov. 22, 29; Dec. 13 – Bred cows & heifers

Thurs., Dec. 1 – Money in the Bank bred heifer sale

Sat., Dec. 3 – Presort fresh-weaned & preconditioned calves

Thus., Dec. 8 – Cowtown cowmaker bred heifers Internet Sales: Direct Livestock Marketing Services www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton)

Meadow lake Meadow Lake Stockyards Ltd. Box 130, Meadow Lake, Sask. S9X 1Y1 Phone: 306-236-3411 • Fax: 306-236-3412 E-mail: mlstockyards@sasktel.net Contact: Brent Brooks.......................................240-5340 Brad Brooks........................................240-5342 Blair Brooks........................................240-9883

NOTES

______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________

Regular Sales:

Mon., 9:30 a.m. – Calf & yearlings

Thurs., 11 a.m. – Presort internet

Fri., 12 noon – Bred cows

Monthly horse sales Internet sales: TEAM (The Electronic Auction Market) www.teamauctionsales.com (see Calgary)

MOOSE JAW Heartland Livestock Services Box 608, Moose Jaw, Sask. S6H 4P4 Phone: 306-692-2385 • Fax: 306-692-7996 E-mail: mjaw.lmc@hls.ca Contact: Grant Barnett......................................631-0410 Tyler Cronkhite....................................630-6846 Jerrad Schollar....................................630-4059 Regular Sales: 9 a.m., Every Tues.

Special Sales:

Tues., Aug. 9, 16,

23, 30, 9 a.m. – Off truck yearling sale Tues., Sept. 27, 9:30 a.m. – Presort yearling & calves Thurs., Oct. 13, 12 noon – All breeds feat. Simmental Tues., Oct. 18, 9:30 a.m., – Presort 31th annual Red & Black Angus Tues., Oct. 25, 9:30 a.m. – Charolais Extravaganza Tues., Nov. 1, 15, 9:30 a.m. – Red & Black Angus calves

Thurs., Nov. 3, 10,

17, 12 noon – All breed calves Tues., Nov 8, 9:30 a.m. – Charolais & Simmental calves

Tues., Nov. 22, 29;

Dec. 6, 13, 9:30 a.m. – All breed calves Thurs., Nov. 24; Dec. 8,

15, 1 p.m. – Bred cow & heifers Internet sales: Direct Livestock Marketing Systems www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton) Johnstone Auction Mart Ltd.* Box 818, Moose Jaw, Sask. S6H 4P5 Phone: 306-693-4715 • Fax: 306-691-6650 E-mail: info@johnstoneauction.ca Website: www.johnstoneauction.ca Contact: S cott Johnstone.......................... 306-631-0767 Corey Mantell.............................. 306-631-1888 Regular Sales: Every Sat. – All breeds bred cows/heifers/pairs

PRINCE ALBERT Heartland Livestock Services Box 186, Prince Albert, Sask. S6V 5R5 Phone: 306-763-8463 • Fax: 306-763-4620 E-mail: prince.albert.lmc@hls.ca Website: www.hls.ca Contact: Wade Cooper.......................................961-9441 Glen Smith..........................................960-4732 Roger Kastron.....................................883-7717 Regular Sales: Every Tues., 8:30 a.m.

Thurs., 8:30 a.m. Oct. to May Mon., 9 a.m., Sept. to Apr. Special Sales: Contact for details

REGINA Heartland Livestock Services Box 37, 1 East, Regina, Sask. S4P 2Z5 Phone: 306-757-3601 • Fax: 306-789-5707 Contact: Darnel Brown.............................. 306-535-2040 Yard Foreman............................. 306-535-2941

Regular Sales: Every Mon., 8:30 a.m.

Special Sales Sat., Sept. 10, 11 a.m. – Showcase colt production

Sat., Sept. 24, 1 p.m. – 2nd Fall Classic & Harvest of Color catalogue horses Internet Presort Sales: Fri., Sept. 30, 9:30 a.m. – Off grass yearling/ calf presort Fri., Oct. 14, 28; Nov. 11, 18;

Dec. 2, 9, 9:30 a.m. – All breed presort calves Special internet presort calf sales: 9:30 a.m.

Fri., Oct. 21 – Black & Red Angus

Fri., Nov.4 – Charolais & Simmental Wed., Nov. 23, 12 noon – Agribition Week bred cow & heifers Wed., Dec. 7, 12 noon – Noble Bros. Red & Black bred heifers Wed., Dec, 14, 12 noon – Pen of 5 bred heifer show & sale Wed., Dec. 21, 12 noon – Last chance bred cow & heifers Sat., Dec. 17, 12 noon – Don Railton complete dispersal Sat., Mar. 17, 2012, 1 p.m. – McCormack Family Ranch Bull Sale Internet sales: Direct Livestock Marketing Systems www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton)

Saskatoon Saskatoon Livestock Sales Ltd.* Box 60, Saskatoon, Sask. S7K 3K1 Phone: 306-382-8088 • Fax: 306-382-8319 E-mail: sls@yourlink.ca Website: www.saskatoonlivestocksales.com Contact: Michael Fleury.....................................222-9526 Bob Blacklock.....................................221-8943 Alvin Busby.........................................221-0905 Harvey Welter......................................227-8684 Regular Sales: Every Mon., Tues., Wed. &

Thurs., 9 a.m. – All classes Special Sales: Mon., Nov 7 – Calf sale feat. Angus calves

Mon., Nov. 21 – Angus calves

Sat., Nov. 5, 19 – Presorted calves

Fri., Nov. 11, 25;

Dec. 9, 16, 12 noon – Bred cow & bred heifer Purebred bull & female sales (refer to our website) Internet Sales: Direct Livestock Marketing Systems www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton) TEAM (The Electronic Auction Market) www.teamauctionsales.com (see Calgary)

SHAUNAVON Shaunavon Livestock Sales (88) Ltd. Box 1419, Shaunavon, Sask. S0N 2M0 Phone: 306-297-2457 • Fax: 306-297-2371 Contact: Ralph Oberle............................... 306-297-2304 Kelly Oberle................................. 306-297-3430 Regular Sales: Usually Mon. at least one per month, 12 noon Contact for details Fall Sales: Contact for details Special Sales: Fall sorted calf sales & bred sales Contact for details

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CORPC JAD03 0510 E

SPIRITWOOD Spiritwood Stockyards (1984) Ltd.* Box 160, Spiritwood, Sask. S0J 2M0 Phone: 306-883-2168 • Fax: 306-883-3913 E-mail: ssy@sasktel.net Website: www.spiritwoodstockyards.ca Contact: Brian Jacobson .......................... 306-883-7375 Fred Walter................................. 306-883-7368 Regular Sales: Every Wed., 9 a.m. (incl. individual producer presort show pens) Internet Sales: TEAM (The Electronic Auction Market) www.teamauctionsales.com (see Calgary)

SWIFT CURRENT Heartland Livestock Services Box 367, Swift Current, Sask. S9H 3V8 Phone: 306-773-3174 • Fax: 306-773-8570 E-mail: swift.current.lmc@hls.ca Contact: Lee Crowley ................................ 306-741-5701 Steve Muddle ............................. 306-741-5115 Regular Sales: Every Tues., 9 a.m.

All classes of feeder & Slaughter cattle Special Sales: Thurs., Sept. 8, 9:30 a.m. – Yearlings Thurs., Oct. 13; Nov. 10, 24, 9:30 a.m. – Sorted all breed calves Sat., Oct. 15, 22; Nov. 5, 12, 26; Dec. 3, 9:30 a.m. – Sorted Black & Red Angus calves Thurs., Oct. 27, 9:30 a.m. – Sorted Charolais & Gelbvieh calves Sat., Oct. 29, 9:30 a.m. – Sorted ranch calves Thurs., Nov. 3, 9:30 a.m. – Sorted all breed calves feat. Simmental Tues., Nov. 15, 22, 1 p.m. – Bred cow & heifers Thurs., Dec. 8, 15, 1 p.m. – Bred cow & heifers Thurs., Dec. 1, 1 p.m. – Packett & Lowe heifers Mon., Dec. 5, 1 p.m. – Six Mile Red Angus Wed., Dec. 7, 1 p.m. – Peak Dot Ranch Mon., Dec. 19, 1 p.m. – Deer Range bred heifers Tues., Dec. 20 1 p.m. – Gehl Ranch heifers Internet sales: Direct Livestock Marketing Systems www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton)

TISDALE Edwards Livestock Centre Box 727, Tisdale, Sask. S0E 1T0 Phone: 306-873-5049 • Fax: 306-873-2328 Contact: Bruce Edwards .......................... 306-873-5049 Bruce Edwards(Cell) .................. 306-873-7779 Bryan Hadland(Cell) .................. 306-921-7667 Regular Sales: Assembly for all local auction markets.

Contact for details Special Sales: Livestock sales facility available for your elite purebred bull & female sales & commercial stock cow sales.

Contact for details

WEYBURN Weyburn Livestock Exchange* Box 1504, Weyburn, Sask. S4H 3N8 Phone: 306-842-4574 • Fax: 306-842-3610 E-mail: wle@weyburnlivestock.com Website: www.weyburnlivestock.com Contact: Dean Martins Ryan Rutledge Regular Sales: Every 2nd Wed., Sept. 7 to Dec. 14, 9 a.m. – Cull cows & bulls

Special Sales: Mon., Oct. 3; Nov. 21; Dec. 5, 12, 11 a.m. – Presort all breeds calf/yearlings Mon., Oct. 17, 31; Nov. 14, 28, 11 a.m., – Presort Angus or AngusX calf/yearlings Mon., Oct. 24, Nov. 7, 11 a.m. – Presort Charolais, Simmental & Xbred calf/yearlings Fri., Dec. 2, 9, 16 – Breed cow/heifers Internet Sales: Direct Livestock Marketing Services www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton)

WHITEWOOD Whitewood Livestock Sales* Box 68, Whitewood, Sask. S0G 5C0 Phone: 306-735-2822 • Fax: 306-735-4284 Website: www.whitewoodlivestock.com Contact: Gene Parks................................. 204-729-7118 Rhett Parks ................................ 306-735-7813 Huntley Lewis............................. 306-435-9210 Glen Vargo ................................. 306-736-7710 Chad Kelly ................................. 306-735-7810 Regular Sales: Every Tues., 9 a.m. – All types of cattle Special Sales: Oct. 4; Nov. 8, 22, 29 – All breed presort feeder Oct. 11. – Simmental influence presort Oct. 18, Nov. 1, 15 – Angus influence Oct. 25 – Charolais influence presort Oct. 28 – Lionel Fouillard Limo Nov. 4, 18; Dec. 2, – Bred cow Dec. 16 – Vargo Bros. complete dispersal Dec. 20 – Last sale of 2011 Visit www.whitewoodlivestock.com for delivery schedules, market reports & contacts.

YORKTON Heartland Livestock Services Box 490, 107 York Road E., Yorkton, Sask. S3N 2W4 Phone: 306-783-9437 • Fax: 306-782-4110 E-mail: yorkton.lmc@hls.ca Website: www.hls.ca Contact: Sheldon Nicholson ..................... 306-621-5649 Clayton Hawreluik...................... 306-621-3824 Harvey Exner .............................. 306-621-5486 Barry (Junior) Baczuk ............................... 306-621-5421 Regular Sales: Mon., 8 a.m., Sept. to Apr. – Cows, bulls & butcher cattle Special Sales: Wed., 10 a.m. – Internet presort calves Sept. 14, 28; Oct. 12, 26; Nov. 9, 23 – All breeds Sept. 21; Oct. 19 – Charolais featured Oct. 5; Nov. 16 – Angus featured Nov. 2 – Simmental featured Fri., Oct. 21; Nov. 25; Dec. 9; Mon., Dec. 19, 11 a.m. – Bred cow & heifers Wed., Dec. 7, 14 – All breeds Call for details on sheep & horse sales Internet sales: Direct Livestock Marketing Systems www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton)

MANITOBA ASHERN Interlake Cattlemen’s Co-op Assoc. Ltd.* Box 599, Ashern, Man. R0C 0E0 Phone: 204-768-2360 • Fax: 204-768-3690 E-mail: icca@mymts.net www.ashernauction.com Contact: Lorne (Buddy) Bergner .......................204-768-2669 Regular Sales: Every Wed. from mid Aug. to May, 2010, 9 a.m – All classes of cattle Special Sales: Sat. 11 a.m. – Fall Feeder Contact for details

BRANDON Heartland Livestock Services* 329 – 12th Street North, Unit A Brandon, Man. R7A 6Z2 Phone: 204-727-1431 • Fax: 204-727-6520 E-mail: kcleaver@hls.ca Website: www.hls.ca Contact: Keith Cleaver (mgr.)................... 204-761-0668 Brad Delgaty .............................. 204-570-0716 Kyle Howarth .............................. 204-523-6770 Drillon Beaton ............................ 204-761-0947 John Lamport ............................. 204-724-0421 Regular Sales: Every Tues., 9 a.m.

Every Thurs., 9 a.m. (Sept. to May, 2012) Special Sales: Internet presort calves Bred cows – Contact for details Internet sales: Direct Livestock Marketing Services www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton)

GLADSTONE Gladstone Auction Mart* Box 318, Gladstone, Man. R0J 0T0 Phone: 204-385-2537 • Fax: 204-385-2582 E-mail: auctmart@mts.net Contact: Gerald McGowan........................ 204-385-2043 Regular Sales: Every Tues., 10 a.m.

Oct. – Dec., 9 a.m.

Special Sales: Contact for details

GRUNTHAL Grunthal Livestock Auction Mart* Box 71, Grunthal, Man. R0A 0R0 Phone: 204-434-6519 • Fax: 204-434-9367 E-mail: g_lam@hotmail.ca Website: www.grunthallivestock.com Contact: Harold Unrau ............................. 204-871-0250 Regular Sales: Tues., 9 a.m. – Cattle Special Sales: Check the website Internet Sales: TEAM Auction Sales www.teamauctionsales.com (see Calgary)

KILLARNEY Killarney Auction Mart Ltd.* Box 1435, Killarney, Man. R0K 1G0 Phone: 204-523-8477 • Fax: 204-523-8190 www.killarneyauctionmart.com Contact: Allan Munroe.............................. 204-523-6161 Scott Campbell .......................... 204-724-2131 Regular weekly Sales: 9 a.m.

Special Sales: Bred cow sales as advertised. Spring bull sales

MELITA Taylor Auctions Box 568, Melita, Man. R0M 1L0 Phone: 204-522-3996 • Fax: 204-522-8121 E-mail: srtaylor@mts.net Contact: Ross Taylor................................. 204-522-5356 Brock Taylor ............................... 204-522-6396 Regular Sales: Every Thurs., 9 a.m. – Cows, bulls, fats & feeders Special Sales: Bred cow sales as scheduled. Contact for details

MINITONAS Valley Livestock Sales Hwy. 10, Box 295, Minitonas, Man. R0L 1G0 Phone: 204-525-4363 • Fax: 204-525-2460 Contact: Randy Hart................................. 204-734-8624 Colin Hart .................................. 204-734-0422 Regular Sales: Every Mon., 10 a.m., Sept. to Apr. 1, 2012 Closed in June & July

STE. ROSE DU LAC Ste. Rose Auction Mart Ltd.* Box 450, Ste. Rose du Lac, Man. R0L 1S0 Phone: 204-447-2266 • Fax: 204-447-3369 E-mail: myles@srauctionmart.com Website: www.srauctionmart.com Contact: Myles Masson ............................ 204-447-7054 Don Masson ............................... 204-447-7055 Regular Sales: Every Thurs., 8 a.m.

Feeder calf sales (1,500 – 2,000 head) Special Sales: Oct. 27, 8 a.m. – Angus influence feeder (1,500 – 2,000 head) Nov. 29; Dec. 5, 12, 19, 10 a.m. – Annual bred cow & heifers Presorted drafts of 20 or more to be placed on internet show listing with live video feeds provided by Online Ringman. On-farm videos can be taken of backgrounded cattle, bulls, bred cows & heifers and uploaded to our ring.

Cattle accepted Tues. & Wed. Call for details.

STRATHCLAIR Strathclair Auction Mart Ltd. Box 155, Strathclair, Man. R0J 2C0 Phone: 204-365-5327 • Fax: 204-365-2051 Regular Sales: Every Mon., 10 a.m. – Cattle One Sat. a month 10:30 a.m. – Horses

VIRDEN Heartland Livestock Services* Box 340, Virden Man. R0M 2C0 Phone: 204-748-2809 • Fax: 204-748-3478 E-mail: virden.lmc@hls.ca Website: www.hls.ca Contact: Robin Hill ................................... 204-851-5465 Rick Gabrielle ........................... 204-851-0613 Jim Blackshaw ........................... 204-748-2809 Regular Sales: Every Mon. Oct. to Mar. 31, 2012, 9 a.m. – Butcher cows, bulls & fats Every Wed., 9 a.m. – Feeder cattle Special Sales: Wed., Sept. 28; Oct. 5, 28; Nov. 2, 16 – All breed presort

NOTES

______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ ______________________________ Wed., Oct. 19, Nov. 9, 23 – Angus presort Oct. 28, Nov. 4, 18, 25; Dec. 2, 5, 12, 16 – Bred cows Sheep & horse sales: Call for details Jan. to Apr. 2012 – Special presort & bred cow sales Direct Livestock Marketing Services www.dlms.ca (see Edmonton)

WINNIPEG Winnipeg Livestock Sales Ltd.* Box 13, Group 220, R.R. 2 Winnipeg, Man. R3C 2E6 Phone: 204-694-8328 • Fax: 204-697-4476 Website: www.winnipeglivestocksales.com email: info@winnipeglivestocksales.com Contact: Scott Anderson........................... 204-782-6222 Darren Tully................................ 204-461-1434 Regular Sales: Every Fri., 8.a.m. – Feeder/slaughter cattle 1st &3rd Thurs. of the month, 1 p.m, - sheep/goat sale

ONTARIO NORTHERN CATTLE SALES NETWORK For sale results of the Northern Cattle Sales Network, residents from Ontario can call toll-free 1-888-461-9622 or check our Website at www.northerncattlesales.com for location details and sale results. We are expecting 16,000 head.

HOARD’S STATION Sponsor: Quinte Cattlemen’s Association Contact: Denton Meiklejohn 2530 Spring Brook Road Spring Brook, Ont. K0K 3C0 E-mail: farmerdenton@yahoo.ca Phone/Fax: 613-395-2008 Sale week: 705-653-3660 Special Sales: Sept. 16, 11 a.m. – 700 yearlings/calves, 90% vaccinated Oct. 21, 11 a.m. – 700 yearlings/calves, 100% vaccinated

Nov. 18, 11 a.m. – 600 head calves, 100% vaccinated Jan. 27, 2012, 11 a.m. – 800 head, 100% vaccinated Mar. 16, 2012, 11 a.m. – 700 head, 90% vaccinated May. 4, 2012, 11 a.m. – 1,000 head, 100% vaccinated

Oct. 15, 10 a.m. – 400 calves

May 5, 2012, 11 a.m. – 200 head Location: East of Thessalon, off Highway 17 at Green Lane, at the Stockyards

Location: H oard’s Station Sale Barn, 15 miles north of Belleville, halfway between Stirling and Campbellford on the county road

Wiarton

Peterborough/ Victoria Counties Sponsor: P eterborough-Victoria County Cattlemen’s Association Contact: Wayne Telford 2264 Chemory Road R.R. 1, Peterborough, Ont. K9J 6X2 Phone: 705-292-9531 Sale week: 705-439-4444 Special Sales:

Oct. 5, 11 a.m. – 800 yearlings, 100% vaccinated

Nov. 2, 11 a.m. – 1,200 head certified calves

Nov. 16, 11 a.m. – 250 yearlings, 500 calves, 100% vaccinated Jan. 18, 2012, 11 a.m. – 650 head, 100% vaccinated Mar. 21, 2012, 11 a.m. – 650 head, 100% vaccinated May 2, 2012, 11 a.m. – 1,050 head, 100% vaccinated Location: K awartha Lakes Co-op (KLC) Sales Barn, County Road #9, Woodville, Ont.

Simcoe/ Dufferin Counties Sponsor: Simcoe-Dufferin Cow/Calf Club Contact: Tom Somers, 5461 8th Line R.R. 1, Beeton, Ont. L0G 1A0 Phone: 905-729-2527 Sale day: 705-458-4000 Special Sale: Nov. 8, 11 a.m. – 1,000 vaccinated farm fresh calves Location: Ontario Stockyards Inc., Cookstown, Ont.

Thessalon Sponsor: Algoma Co-operative Livestock Sales Contact: Dennis Kirby R.R. 2, Iron Bridge, Ont. P0R 1H0 Phone: 705-842-5534 Sale Barn 705-842-2249 Special Sales:

Sept. 21, 10 a.m. – 1,600 yearlings

Sponsor: Grey-Bruce Livestock Co-operative Contact: Ron Cunningham 1153 Bruce County Road #9 R.R. 6, Wiarton, Ont. N0H 2T0 Phone: 519-534-2651 Sale day 519-534-0400 E-mail: n.cunning@bmts.com Special Sales: Thurs., Sept. 8, 10 a.m. – 1,000 yearlings Thurs., Oct. 27, 10 a.m. – 1,000 calves Thurs., May 3, 2012, 10 a.m. – 1,000 head Location: At the base of Bruce Peninsula on Hwy # 6, just south of Wiarton. Free transportation available from the airport at Wiarton.

BRUSSELS Brussels Livestock* Box 59, 42845 Newry Rd. Brussels, Ont. N0G 1H0 Phone: 519-887-6461 • Fax: 519-887-9449 E-mail: info@brusselslivestock.ca Website: www.brusselslivestock.ca Contact: K en Gamble................................ 519-887-6461 Kip Gamble................................. 519-856-2538 Kevin McArter.............................. 519-357-0794 Mark Ferraro............................... 905-703-8563 Regular Sales:

Fri., 10 a.m. – Stocker calves & yearlings

Tues., 9 a.m. – Fed cattle, bulls, cows

Thurs., 8 a.m. – Bob calves, veal, lambs, goats, sheep Special Sales:

Sat., Oct. 8, 10 a.m. – 4-H show & sale

Fri., Oct. 28, 1 p.m. – Hereford influence

Sat., Nov. 5, 11. a.m. – Bred cows Mon., Nov. 14, 10 a.m. – Vaccinated Hereford & Angus calf & yearlings

Fri., Nov. 25, 1 p.m. – Angus influence Mon., Nov. 28, 10 a.m. – Vaccinated

campbellford Community Livestock Exchange Hoard Station 2508 County Road 8 R.R. 5, Campbellford, Ont. K0L 1L0 Phone: 705-653-3660 • Fax: 705-653-4610 E-mail: daveyd@xplornet.com Website: www.hoardstnsalebarn.ca Contact: David DeNure.............................. 705-653-3660 Regular Sales:

Every Tues., 12 noon – Special sales by request Special Sales: 11 a.m., Quinte Cattlemen’s Stocker Sales

Fri., Sept. 16 – Vaccinations preferred Fri., Oct. 21; Nov. 11;

Jan. 27, 2011 – Vaccinated & catalogued

CARGILL Cargill Auction Market Inc. Box 64, Cargill, Ont. N0G 1J0 Phone: 519-366-2214 • Fax: 519-366-2444 Contact: Alan Anstett................................ 519-366-2214 Brian Kirkland............................. 519-797-1668 Calvin Anstett............................. 519-881-6623 Regular Sales: Every Wed., 7 p.m. – Stockers & feeders Special Sales: Fri., Sept. 3; Oct. 1, 7 p.m. – Charolais & exotic cross yearlings, steers & heifers

Fri., Sept. 24, 7 p.m. – All breed heifers Fri., Oct. 29; Nov. 5, 7 p.m. – Local calves

COBDEN Renfrew Pontiac Livestock 18156 Hwy. 17, R.R. 3, Cobden, Ont. K0J 1K0 Phone/Fax: 613-646-7335 Contact: Harry Dick................................... 613-649-2426 Regular Sales: Every Tues., 1 p.m. – All breeds Special Sales: Stocker sales in Sept.; Oct.; Mar., 2012 & Apr., 2012 Contact for details

COOKSTOWN Ontario Stockyards Inc.* Box 402, Cookstown, Ont. L0L 1L0 Phone: 705-458-4000 • Fax: 705-458-4100 E-mail: info@ontariostockyards.on.ca Website: www.ontariostockyards.on.ca Contact: Wayne Small............................... 705-435-1423 Murray Morrison.......................... 416-233-1526 Brian Pascoe............................... 705-878-7026 Regular Sales:

Every Thurs., 11 a.m. – Stockers & feeders Special Sales: Tues., Sept. 13; Oct. 4, 25; Thurs., Dec. 9, 11 a.m. – Yearlings Tues., Oct. 18, 11 a.m. – Canadian Angus Certified calves/ Canadian Hereford Association sale/ Ottawa Valley-Renfrew calves, yearlings Tues., Nov. 15, 29, 11 a.m. – Ontario Stockyards Inc. vaccinated sale Annual Simcoe-Dufferin & Leeds-Grenville Counties sale held with regular Thurs. sale, date to be determined.

DENFIELD Denfield Livestock Exchange R.R. 2, Denfield, Ont. N0M 1P0 Phone: 519-666-1140 • Fax: 519-666-1143 Contact: Stan Rees................................... 519-871-5968 Regular Sales: Every Tues., 12 noon

Special Sales:

Sat., Sept. 24;

Oct. 8, 22, 11 a.m. – Stockers, bred cows, cow/calf pairs

Sat., Nov. 5, 11 a.m. – Local calves Sat., Nov. 19, 11 a.m. – Fall clean up saleStockers, bred cows, cow/calf pairs

GREELY Ottawa Livestock Exchange Ltd.* Box 340, 1643 Sale Barn Road Greely, Ont. K4P 1N6 Phone: 613-821-2634 • Fax: 613-821-4594 E-mail: ottawalivestock@bellnet.ca Website: www.ottawalivestockexchange.ca Contact: Steven Spratt.............................. 613-822-1351 Charles J. Menard....................... 819-983-1056 Robert/Richard/Denis.................. 613-821-2634 Regular Sales:

Mon., 11 a.m. – Calves

Mon., 1 p.m. – Slaughter cows & stockers

Thurs., 11 a.m. – Calves, slaughter cows

Thurs., 12:30 p.m. – Dairy cows

Thurs., 2 p.m. – Stockers Special Sales: Sat., Aug. 27; Sept. 24; Oct 29; Nov. 26, 10 a.m. – Stockers & yearlings Sat., Oct. 22, 10:30 a.m. – Bred cows

hanover Maple Hill Auctions Box 341, Hanover, Ont. N4N 3T2 Phone: 519-506-1400 • Fax: 519-506-1402 Contact: Andy McCulloch.......................... 519-379-1370 Regular Sales: Mon., Sept. 5 – Dec. 12, 7 p.m.

Special Sales: Sun., Sept. 11, 1 p.m. – Ontario Autumn Simmental Classic Mon., Oct. 10, 24, 7 p.m. – Local vaccinated

Sat., Nov. 26, 1 p.m. – Cows (tentative)

Sat., Mar. 17, 2012 – Rollin Acres & Patton Charolais bulls

Listowel David Carson Farms & Auction Services Ltd.* R.R. 3, Listowel, Ont. N4W 3G8 Phone: 519-291-2049 • Fax: 519-291-5065 E-mail: info@davidcarson.on.ca Website: www.davidcarson.on.ca Contact: David/Brad Carson..................... 519-291-2049 Don Robertson............................ 519-291-8582 Bill Haalstra............................... 905-774-1739 Ross Evans................................. 905-852-5411 Regular Sales: Sat., 11 a.m. – Stockers, cow/calf pairs, cows, bulls Special Sales: Contact for details Listowel Livestock Ltd.* R.R. 3, Listowel, Ont. N4W 3G8 Phone: 519-291-2200 • Fax: 519-291-1381 E-mail: listowellivestock1@bellnet.ca Contact: Grant Jackson............................. 519-291-4450 Bob Jackson................................ 519-291-3365 Graham Jackson......................... 519-291-4528 Regular Sales: Every Tues., 1 p.m. – All breeds Special Sales:

Fri., Oct. 29, 12 noon – Local vaccinated calves Sat., Nov. 13, 12 noon – Local vaccinated Charolais calves

MILVERTON Parks Livestock of Canada LP 6 Spencer Street, Milverton, Ont. N0K 1M0 Phone: 519-595-8555 • Fax: 519-595-8552 Website: www.parkslivestock.com Contact: John Nicholson............................ 519-595-8555 Regular Sales:

Every Mon., 12 noon – Calves, veal, stockers & cull cows

NEW LISKEARD Temiskaming Livestock Exchange 883006 R.R. 3, New Liskeard, Ont. P0J 1P0 Phone: 705-647-5415 • Fax: 705-647-4411 Contact: Bill Stewart.........................................544-3508 Regular Sales:

Every Mon., 2 p.m. – All classes of livestock Special Sales:

Oct. 7, 21, 12 noon – 800 calves & yearlings

Oct. 28, 12 noon – Bred cows

Selby Selby Livestock and Auction Centre Box 453, Selby, Ont. K7R 3P5 Phone: 613-354-6260 • Fax: 613-354-5884 Website: www.selbyauctions.ca Contact: Bert Nibourg............................... 613-536-9157 Doug Lewis................................. 613-388-2355 Regular Sales:

Every Mon., 1 p.m. – All classes of livestock Special Sales: Lennox Addington vaccinated & non-vaccinated stocker sales (call for details)

TALBOTVILLE Talbotville Livestock Exchange Limited Box 46, Talbotville, Ont. N0L 2K0 Phone: 519-631-1850 • Fax: 519-631-8036 Contact: Matt Ferraro Regular Sales:

Every Sat., 11 a.m. – All classes Special Sales: Stockers (call for details)

Tara Keady Livestock Market R.R. 4, Tara, Ont. N0H 2N0 Phone: 519-934-2339 • Fax: 519-934-2715 E-mail: rkuhl@bmts.com Website: www.keadylivestock.com Contact: Garry Kuhl................................... 519-934-1626 Ron Kuhl..................................... 519-477-4404 Scott Kuhl................................... 519-477-2339 Tom McNabb............................... 519-794-3072 Regular Fall Sales:

Every Tues.,

Sept. 6 to Oct. 18; Nov. 1 to Dec. 13, 9 a.m. – Local calves & stockers (1,000 – 1,500 head) Fri., Sept. 9 to Oct. 14;

Nov. 11, 9 a.m. – Yearling steers & heifers (1,200 – 1,500 head) Fri., Nov. 4, 18, 9 a.m. – Local calves preweaned or off the cow, in owner lots, vaccinated or unvaccinated (1,200-1,500 head) Special Sales: Sat., Oct. 22, 9 a.m. – Bruce Peninsula Charolais Association sale (members only) mainly Charolais, age verified, vaccinated presorted calves (1,000 – 1,500 head)

NOTES

______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ ______________ Tues., Oct. 25, 9 a.m. – Georgian Bay Premium Charolais Calf Association sale (members only) mainly Charolais, age verified, vaccinated, presorted calves (1,000 – 1,500 head) Thurs., Oct. 27, 9 a.m. – Bluewater Angus Calf Association sale (members only) mainly Angus, age verified, vaccinated, presorted calves (1,000 – 1,500 head) Sat., Oct. 29, 9 a.m. – Central Calf Association sale (members only) all breeds age verified, vaccinated selling in owner lots (800-1,000 head) Fri., Nov. 25, 5 p.m. – Bred cow & heifer sale Tues., Jan. 17, 2012 – 1st sale of 2012

THORNDALE Taylor Auction Centre R.R. 2, Thorndale, Ont. N0M 2P0 Phone: 519-461-0538 • Fax: 519-461-0771 Contact: George Taylor.............................. 519-461-0538 Heath Taylor................................ 519-461-0693 Regular Sales: Contact for details

VANKLEEK HILL Vankleek Hill Livestock Exchange* Box 134, 1239 Ridge Road • Vankleek Hill, Ont. K0B 1R0 Phone: 613-678-3008

Contact: Francois Tremblay...................... 514-233-9383 Regular Sales: Every Mon., 4 p.m.; Wed., 2 p.m.

Special Sales: Last Wed. of the month 7 p.m. – Stockers & cows

WATERLOO Ontario Livestock Exchange Inc.* Box 443, Waterloo, Ont. N2J 4A9 Phone: 519-884-2082 • Fax: 519-884-0509 Website: www.olex.on.ca E-mail: dropp@olex.on.ca Contact: David Ropp ................................ 519-749-5072 Brian Yost .................................. 519-741-6205 Larry Witzel ................................ 519-741-6333 Allen Colwell .............................. 519-501-0147 Live Sales: Wed, 1 p.m. – Vaccinated Feeder Cattle Thurs., 11 a.m. – Regular stocker sale Special Sales: Daily Internet Presort Sales & Direct from Ranch Sales Wed., Contributing markets: Moose Jaw Swift Current Provost Lloydminster Vermilion Yorkton Maple Creek Meadow Lake Regina Mankota

WOODVILLE Kawartha Lakes Co-op 580 Woodville Road, R.R. 3, Woodville, Ont. K0M 2T0 Phone: 705-439-4444 • Fax: 705-439-3145 E-mail: info@klcauction.ca Website: www.klcauction.ca Contact: Kevin Barker .............................. 705-878-2947 Jane Barker ................................ 705-439-4444 Regular Sales: Every Sat., 10 a.m. – Cull cows, bulls, finished cattle, veal calves, bob calves, replacement cattle, stocker cattle, bred cows & cows with calves Special Sales: Sat. Sept. 17, 12 noon – Stocker sale Wed., Oct. 5; 11 a.m. – Peterborough/Victoria County Cattlemen’s sale Wed., Oct. 12, 26; Nov. 9; Dec. 7, 11 a.m. – Stocker sales Wed., Oct. 19, 11 a.m. – Easter Angus stocker sale Wed., Nov. 2, 11 a.m. – Peterborough/ Victoria Cattlemen’s certified stocker sale Wed., Nov. 16 – Peterborough/ Victoria Cattlemen’s calves & yearlings sale To consign to Peterborough/Victoria Cattlemen’s sales: Contact: Wayne Telford............................. 705-292-9531 Dave Fell .................................... 705-887-5670 For the Eastern Angus stocker sale: Contact: Ross Bailey ............................... 905-985-0697 Sun., Oct. 23, 1 p.m. – Autumn Harvest Angus Sun., Nov. 13, 1 p.m. – Central Invitational Simmental Wed., Nov. 23, 6 p.m. – Bred cow

QUEBEC The Feeder Calf Sales’ Agency 555, boul. Roland-Therrien, suite 305 Longueuil, Que. J4H 4G2 Phone: 450-679-0540 ext. 8891 Contact: Feeder calf development marketing officer, Eve Martin E-mail: emartin@upa.qc.ca

BIC

Sept. 9 – 1,850 head Sept. 16 – 1,200 head Sept. 23 – 1,600 head Sept. 30 – 1,100 head Oct.7 – 1,100 head Oct. 14 – 1,300 head Oct. 21 – 1,600 head Oct. 28 – 1,850 head Nov. 4 – 1,850 head Nov. 11 – 1,800 head Nov. 18 – 1,400 head Nov. 25 – 1,600 head Dec. 2 – 1,850 head Dec. 9 – 1,850 head 2012 Special Sales: 9 a.m.

Jan. 13 – 1,850 head Jan. 20 – 1,850 head Feb. 3 – 1,850 head Feb. 10 – 1,600 head Feb. 24 – 1,850 head Mar. 2 – 1,850 head Mar. 16 – 1.500 head Mar. 23 – 1,850 head Mar. 30 – 1.400 head Apr. 13 – 1,850 head Apr. 20 – 1,500 head Apr. 27 – 1.850 head May 4 – 1,800 head May 18 – 1,500 head May 25 – 1,850 head Jun. 1 – 1,850 head

Coopérative des encans d’animaux du Bas-St-Laurent 3229, Route 132 Ouest, Bic, Que. G0L 1B0 Phone: 418-736-5788 Special Sales: 9:00 a.m.

Aug. 25 – 800 head Sept. 22 P – 800 head Nov. 3 – 800 head 2012 Special Sales: 9:30 a.m.

Jan. 18, – 700 head Feb. 22, – 700 head Mar. 28, – 700 head May 31, 9 a.m. – 700 head

LA GUADELOUPE Marché d’animaux vivants Veilleux & Frères Inc. 1287, 14th Avenue, La Guadeloupe, Que. G0M 1G0 Phone: 418-459-6832 Special Sales: 9 a.m.

Sept. 8 – 600 head Oct. 6 – 900 head Oct. 26 – 900 head Nov. 9 – 600 head Nov. 23 P – 550 head 2012 Special Sales: 10 a.m.

Jan. 19 – 1,000 head Feb. 23 – 550 head Mar. 29 – 600 head Apr. 26, 9 a.m. – 550 head

SAWYERVILLE Encan Sawyerville Inc. 420, Route 253, Cookshire, Que. J0B 1M0 Phone: 819-849-3606 • 819-875-3577 Special Sales: 9 a.m.

Sept. 1 – 1,000 head Sept. 15 – 900 head Sept. 29, C – 800 head Oct. 13, P – 1.000 head Oct. 27 A – 1,500 head Nov. 10 – 1,400 head Nov. 24 P – 1,500 head Dec. 1 – 800 head Dec. 8 – 1,100 head 2012 Special Sales: 9 a.m.

Jan. 12 – 1,400 head Feb. 2 – 1,100 head Feb. 9 – 1,100 head Mar. 1 – 1,400 head Mar. 22 – 1,600 head Apr. 12 – 900 head May 3 – 1,200 head May 24 – 1,200 head

ST-HYACINTHE Réseau Encans Québec 5110, rue Martineau, St-Hyacinthe, Que. J2R 1T9 Toll Free: 1-877-769-2612 Phone: 450-796-2612 • 819-839-2781 Special Sales: 9 a.m.

Oct. 20 – 550 head Nov. 17 – 550 head

ST-ISIDORE Réseau Encans Québec 2020, Rang de la Rivière St-Isidore-de-Dorchester, Que. G0S 2S0 Toll free 1-866-839-9475 • Phone: 418-882-6341 Special Sales: 9 a.m.

Aug. 26 – 1,850 head Sept. 2 – 1,700 head

Charolais special sale Angus special sale P

Pfizer special sale

NEW BRUNSWICK FLORENCEVILLE Carleton Co-op Sales Barn Florenceville, N.B. E7L 3G2 Phone: 506-392-5587 Contact: Carvell Crandlemire ..................... 506-375-8161 Regular Sales: Every Mon., 12 noon

SUSSEX Sussex and Studholm Agric. Soc. Auction Barn P.O. Box 5063, Sussex, N.B. E4E 5L2 Phone: 506-432-1841 • Fax: 506-432-1825 Regular Sales: Every other Wed., 12:30 p.m. – All breeds Feeder & stock cow sales start at 11:30 a.m.

Call for details

NOVA SCOTIA TRURO Atlantic Stockyards Box 293, Truro, N.S. B2N 5C1 Phone: 902-893-9603 • Fax: 902-893-4483 Contact: Sean Firth .................................. 902-670-5999 Regular Sales: Every Thurs., 12 noon – All classes of livestock Fall Feeder Sales: 10 a.m.

Sat., Sept. 17; Oct. 15; Nov. 12; Dec. 3 Tues., Oct. 12 Special sales: Contact for details *2011 member of the Livestock Markets Association of Canada (LMAC)

*

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